The Church Christ established on earth was sustained years and years (through Sacred Tradition) before any Gospels or NT matter were written.
Not really an accurate account. The Books of the New Testament were being written within 15 years of the Crucifixion. There was not a prolonged period of people "telling stories". Also, Christians recognized the Scriptures within one generation of the end of the Apostolic Era, even though at this time no dominant hierarchy had emerged.
An objective view of history reveals the Holy Spirit at work not a particular church that had not even emerged yet.