Each church has its own authority and most are under a hierarchy of some kind, such as Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. Since one of our pastors has been my husband’s best friends since childhood, I KNOW what pastors go through with people. It’s no fun. In our church, getting people saved is a sign of success.
Getting people saved is the sign of success, but far too many church focus on other measures. I remember one church to which I belonged kept detailed records of the number of Bibles brought to Sunday service.
Most Protestant churches operate under supervision of some sort from a denominational body, but to label that supervision as a hierarchy is - with the exception, possibly, of the Episcopal church - something of a stretch.