Answer:
Leadership in the Early Church
The early church was not a highly organized structure. Both Acts and the Epistles of Paul indicate that many Christians were expecting Jesus to return to Earth at almost any time, and therefore the church had no need for a highly organized structure. As the years passed and it became apparent that Jesus was not returning immediately, as the number of Christians grew, and as the various interpretations of Christianity increased, it became necessary for the church to organize more fully. There had always been outstanding leaders, such as Simon Peter, Paul, and James; apparently, they held no titles and drew whatever authority they had from their relationship to Jesus and the force of their personalities. The Catholic Church claims that Simon Peter was intended by Jesus to be the cornerstone of the Church. This claim is based on the following biblical passage:
From the Source
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 19
Although it is not mentioned in the New Testament, a strong tradition says that Simon Peter went to Rome and became the leader of the church in that city. The bishops who were his successors became the popes of the Roman church.
The New Testament mentions several kinds of leaders in the early church, but their roles are never clearly delineated. One such leader was the bishop. The Greek word for bishop, episkopos, literally means “shepherd.” Qualifications for this office were laid