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<blockquote data-quote="vantexan" data-source="post: 5868239" data-attributes="member: 24302"><p>As I&#039;ve pointed out, in the early Church we had apostles and those the apostles imparted gifts, or powers, to.&nbsp; These men went around establishing congregations and preaching about Jesus.&nbsp; The congregations at the local level chose elders, who were qualified, and deacons.&nbsp; The elders saw to the churches spiritual needs as well as had oversight over the deacons who saw to the physical needs of the church such as looking after widows and orphans.&nbsp; There weren&#039;t even located ministers at that time.&nbsp; Evangelists worked in a given area and were supported by various congregations.&nbsp; There was no reporting to a central authority.&nbsp; The Apostle Paul would hear of something concerning and he would write to the congregation involved.&nbsp; But the power over a congregation lay with the chosen elders at that location.&nbsp; That was the extent of a hierarchy.&nbsp; Over time, centuries in the making, power in a congregation was controlled by one man.&nbsp; Eventually those men would choose one among them, a bishop, to oversee all of the congregations in a region.&nbsp; As Rome was the center of the empire and the Church numerically was very strong there, eventually the bishop of Rome was recognized as the earthly head of the Church.&nbsp; This was centuries in the making and was a major factor in the corruption that led to the schism between the Eastern and Western Churches and eventually the Reformation and rise of Protestanism.&nbsp; I know you want to look for flaws but I will just say the flawless church structure of the early Church was peopled with flawed humans.&nbsp; Wolves in sheep&#039;s clothing(and yes that expression comes from the Bible) took over as the Church became large and a lot of money started flowing through it.&nbsp; And Kings and Emporers saw it as a vehicle to control the masses and allied themselves with the Church.&nbsp; And yes terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus.&nbsp; But a lot of good has been done too.&nbsp; And those who use the Church to their own ends will be judged by God for it.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="vantexan, post: 5868239, member: 24302"] As I've pointed out, in the early Church we had apostles and those the apostles imparted gifts, or powers, to. These men went around establishing congregations and preaching about Jesus. The congregations at the local level chose elders, who were qualified, and deacons. The elders saw to the churches spiritual needs as well as had oversight over the deacons who saw to the physical needs of the church such as looking after widows and orphans. There weren't even located ministers at that time. Evangelists worked in a given area and were supported by various congregations. There was no reporting to a central authority. The Apostle Paul would hear of something concerning and he would write to the congregation involved. But the power over a congregation lay with the chosen elders at that location. That was the extent of a hierarchy. Over time, centuries in the making, power in a congregation was controlled by one man. Eventually those men would choose one among them, a bishop, to oversee all of the congregations in a region. As Rome was the center of the empire and the Church numerically was very strong there, eventually the bishop of Rome was recognized as the earthly head of the Church. This was centuries in the making and was a major factor in the corruption that led to the schism between the Eastern and Western Churches and eventually the Reformation and rise of Protestanism. I know you want to look for flaws but I will just say the flawless church structure of the early Church was peopled with flawed humans. Wolves in sheep's clothing(and yes that expression comes from the Bible) took over as the Church became large and a lot of money started flowing through it. And Kings and Emporers saw it as a vehicle to control the masses and allied themselves with the Church. And yes terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus. But a lot of good has been done too. And those who use the Church to their own ends will be judged by God for it. [/QUOTE]

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