I'm finding it useful in areas like this where there is such a strong disagreement on interpretation to look at what the Apostles actually did. If they believed the interpretation was meant to set up an autocratic hierarchal structure they would have personally picked the Bishops for churches they helped found and declared these Bishops the final authority. Instead, what the Apostles did was assist the various congregations in selecting their own leaders based on the charismatic gifts they possessed and the churches made decisions as a group, or through the elders (plural) that the congregation had selected. He certainly didn't move to Rome and set up the Grand Pubah of the Church and force that all rulership trickle down from there. Instead he gave out the qualifications of local elders in very good detail, as if they were supposed to pick for themselves.