In this period of church history there were no church buildings as we know them, the early christians met in houses, not because it was more spiritual, but becuase of necessity, interestingly the reason they met in the catacombs of Rome was most likely to remember those who were martyred. Their meetings were presided over by an elder or pastor who in turn was presided over by a local 'bishop', literally overseer, who would preside over all the church gatherings an example of a bishop would have been Titus who was told by Paul to appoint elders. Again in this age of the church there was rapid church growth and the gosepl went as far as India Ethiopia and England. But these were times where the church was under great pressure as persecution was rife and suspicion and fear everywhere.
