The earliest Christian movement probably had no settled headquarters; the apostles were always on the move. If it had, though, communications from headquarters would have been at best occasional and slow.
Moreover, local leaders lacked a “general handbook of instructions.” Almost none of the members had access to any scriptures; the New Testament didn’t even exist yet. And anyway, most were probably illiterate. They mostly relied upon memories of what some missionary had taught them while passing through. No general authority photographs appeared on their walls or in their magazines; when some visitor claimed to be an apostle, they had to determine whether he really was and which directives and teachings were authentically apostolic.
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