Tag Archives: Church decline

To Keep the Weariness at Bay

Posted on October 25, 2021 by smaxreisert

During the first years of my marriage and when my children were young, part of our annual family vacation involved a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina to spend time with extended family.  Over the course of our … Continue reading →

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In Another Country

Posted on September 30, 2021 by smaxreisert

To prepare for a recent two-week trip to Italy, I tried to learn a little Italian.  Each day, I spent time with “the Owl” (aka Duolingo).  It didn’t help much.  When I got to Italy, I realized how little I … Continue reading →

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If a Church Falls in a Small City, Does Anyone Care?

Posted on November 24, 2020 by smaxreisert

Hallowell, Maine is a very small city in the middle of the state, just south of the capital, Augusta.  The mighty Kennebec River serves as the boundary on the eastern edge of the city that is home to about 2500 … Continue reading →

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Getting My Non On

Posted on February 15, 2020 by smaxreisert

At some point during this year’s annual meeting at Old South, I experienced a moment—an instance that I can only describe as almost terrifying.  I was looking out at the assembled group of good, dedicated church folk and realizing that … Continue reading →

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Don’t Sit There!

Posted on January 11, 2020 by smaxreisert

And you may ask yourself, well How did I get here? —Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime During my homily last Sunday, on our first winter worship service of the season in Old South’s parish house (where worship is a … Continue reading →

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The Heartbreak of Christmas 2019

Posted on December 27, 2019 by smaxreisert

At Old South, Christmas Eve has become the most unwelcome and dire of bellwethers. When I began my ministry with Old South, in 2005, I heard quite a lot about the annual Christmas Eve service. The bell choir would play … Continue reading →

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Worship Spaces

Posted on October 24, 2019 by smaxreisert

One of the most difficult lines of conversation in these days at Old South is connected to our sanctuary. The sanctuary exists in a building separate from the building that contains the offices, kitchen, classrooms, etc. The sanctuary building is … Continue reading →

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Living in the Midst of Dying

Posted on August 15, 2019 by smaxreisert

It’s a hard time to be a traditional Mainline church. It feels harder still to be a traditional church in a part of the world that often feels not only indifferent to organized Christianity, but sometimes even hostile. Such is … Continue reading →

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A Church on Fire: A Confession

Posted on April 16, 2019 by smaxreisert

  The scenes from Paris were (and are) startling and heartbreaking. When part of the spire of Notre Dame fell into the huge cauldron of flames, I gasped. It was hard to take it all in from the vantage point … Continue reading →

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The Not So Graceful Art of Treading Water

Posted on January 9, 2019 by smaxreisert

The typical routine of life at Old South Church means that the Advent and Christmas seasons are followed not so much by the season of Epiphany, but the season of Annual Meeting—finalizing the budget, figuring out and nominating a slate … Continue reading →

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