Early in his writings, Paul authored Galatians, a book primarily dedicated to explaining to Jewish Christians that their uncircumcised Gentile brothers were not second class members of the church. Paul directly refutes this concept of hierarchy in Christian community in Galatians 3:28: “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

We can also observe this equality lived out in the structure of the early church leadership in Ephesus. Ephesus was a key city in the formation of the global church. Scripture gives us a great deal of information on the Ephesian church. It is highlighted in Acts 19 and 20, and three of the New Testament Epistles are written to encourage its growth (Ephesians, 1 Timothy, and 2 Timothy).

Using these biblical texts and the insights of ancient church historians, we can learn about the early history of the Christian community in that city. A close study of early church history reveals both the challenges faced by the Ephesian church at the time and a living example of church leadership devoid of manmade hierarchies…

Finish reading over at the Christians for Biblical Equality website.