Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

Well, if you've got the phone number, why don't you call and ask?

The Park Street Church is at the corner of Tremont and Park Street,
facing the Boston Common.

/john

    Like I replied in the other conference... 
    
    
    
    .1  I know that I could just "call" and ask.
    
            I was hoping for a more rational answer...
            That folks would realize that I wanted a name of someone they
            already knew and trusted.
    
         

>            That folks would realize that I wanted a name of someone they
>            already knew and trusted.

Well, that's quite a different question than the one you asked in .0!

/john

    Cheryl,
    
    	I don't want to leave this unsaid.  You're entries are welcome
    here.
    
    	If you don't mind sharing it with us (unless it's a surprise or
    something for someone), why is it you're looking for the information
    you requested?
    
    	I'm sorry I can't provide the answer for you.  I'd be most pleased
    to do so if I did.
    
    Peace,
    Richard

    Hi,
    
    I needed the name of seomone for my niece... she is staying with
    friends in Boston and nees someone to talk to.  She said she would go
    to the Park Street Church - if she knew who to ask for.
    
    I have several names for her now.  Thanks to all.
    
    
    Regards,
    Cheryl

FROM A RECENT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:

     Olsen founded Digital in 1957, and has been its only chief 
executive officer.  He is a member of the Boards of Directors of 
Polaroid Corporation and Ford Motor Company; the Corporation of 
MIT, Cambridge, Mass.; board of trustees, Gordon College, Wenham, 
Mass.; the Corporation of Wentworth Institute, Boston; and a 
>>>Deacon of Boston's Park Street Church. <<<
    
Here's another resource for you, Cheryl and looks like he'll have some 
free time come October.  ;')

Ro

But, in a Congregational Church, is "deacon" a pastoral role?

/john

Park Street Church is a 4Cs church which stands for
something like Conservative Congregational Christian
Conference.  I was a member of a 4Cs church for several
years before we moved to Nashua.

The structure is typically a pastor, a board of elders and a
board of deacons as well as various committees.  This is
a Biblically based model as discussed in Acts, I Timothy
(if I remember correctly) and elsewhere in the Bible.

In our 4Cs church, the congregation has ultimate say in
everything, the elders are responsible for the spiritual
growth of the congregation (and the general leadership of
the church) with the pastor being the direct leader and
oftentime initiator (Biblically a servant role of helping
out where needed) and the deacons having responsibility for
the physical building use and physical needs of the people
(distributing food, for example).  This breakdown of
responsibilities is modeled after Acts 6.

Note, however, that other churches have different responsibilities
for the same offices.  Recently I read the Ken Olsen was part
of the search committee that found the new pastor of Park
Street Church.  My memory tells me that this was the Board
of Deacons which did this (rather than a seperate search
committee) which would *not* have been a function of the
Board of Deacons at the church I attended.  Grace Chapel,
interestingly enough, defines these roles quite differently
as well with the ruling elders responsible for overseeing the
church and the shepherding elders responsible for the spiritual
growth of the people.  (In other words, the group of elders
than can make official decisions is the group that is *not*
responsible for spiritual growth, unlike the New Testament
example.)

Collis