men only, administering a community that already numbered more than five thousand men, not counting women and children (Acts 4.4). Several elements in the book of Acts nevertheless help us understand how the apostles were able to cope with this exceptional growth.
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The apostles did not carry out all the tasks alone
The Twelve were above all the official witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 1.21-22). Their essential mission was prayer and the teaching of the Word (Acts 6.4). They were not meant to carry out all the practical tasks personally or to supervise each believer individually.
Their authority was comparable to that of a governing council rather than to that of leaders responsible for every detail of daily life.
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The believers met in many homes
Luke notes that the disciples broke bread “in their homes” (Acts 2.46). This expression suggests the existence of many household groups scattered throughout Jerusalem. The apostles could teach publicly in the Temple, notably in Solomon’s Portico (Acts 5.12), while this teaching was then passed on and lived out within these smaller gatherings.
Thus, the Church in Jerusalem was not a single assembly of several thousand people gathered in one building, but rather a vast network of household communities united around the apostles’ teaching.
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The hundred and twenty disciples probably formed an initial core of leaders
Before Pentecost, about one hundred and twenty disciples were already gathered together (Acts 1.15). Among them were men and women who had followed Jesus for several years. It is likely that they took part in the spiritual oversight of the new converts.
The seventy disciples once sent out by Jesus (Luke 10.1) may also have formed a group of experienced coworkers, even though Luke no longer mentions them explicitly in Acts.
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A more structured organization appears quickly
When material needs became too great, the apostles recognized that they could no longer handle everything themselves. They then asked the community to choose seven men to take charge of serving tables (Acts 6.1-6). This decision shows that the Twelve understood the need to delegate certain responsibilities so as to devote themselves to their main ministry.
This organization is therefore not a sign of crisis, but of a Church in full expansion.
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The work of the Holy Spirit and the miracles reinforced their authority
The many miracles performed by the apostles (Acts 5.12-16) gave them exceptional spiritual authority. Their teaching was unanimously recognized, which promoted the unity of the community (Acts 2.42). The believers devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching,” which limited doctrinal divisions.
Conclusion
The Twelve probably did not lead a crowd of several thousand people in a direct and individual way. They rather exercised a function of spiritual and doctrinal leadership. The Church in Jerusalem probably rested on several levels of organization: the apostles for teaching and prayer, a wider group of experienced disciples to oversee the believers, and numerous house meetings providing fellowship. The appointment of the Seven in Acts 6.1-6 shows that this organization continued to develop as the Church grew prodigiously.
One might therefore compare the Twelve not to pastors each responsible for hundreds of faithful, but rather to an apostolic council charged with preserving the unity, the teaching and the witness of the infant Church.