In the New Testament, didn't the Apostles themselves work out a way to appoint successors? You think they quit after just one? And then the whole "Apostle" thing "petered out" at the death of the last of the 12?
On the other questions: Why not repost one or two points at a time?
I would trust the Apostles to appoint successors, but not the successors. We're talking centuries. Political and religious power is as corruptible to the human soul as raw sewage is to a squash.
I require credentials, beyond self testamony, otherwise the natural connection with God within each individual charts that individual's course.
I only had one point about a "church" and individual determination. Go back and read. They weren't long posts.
