"They did not elevate themselves above the leaders that individual congregations selected."
The position of bishops was established within at least the lifetime of +John. It is an "elevated" position because the bishops are and always have been the successors to the Apostles. But it is always absolutely vital to remember, most especially for bishops, that they are NOT The Church. They are a part of it with a certain role to fulfill in the divine economy of salvation as are the lower clergy, the monastics and especially the laity. Hierarch worship is as bad as scripture worship, WF. Its also as common, which is why the floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.
In some cases you do see individuals like Clement who tried to assert this authority, but it was not accepted that the Bishops were selected by the Apostles. In the Scriptures we have no record of the Apostles acting as Bishops, other than James in Jerusalem and even there decisions were made by the congregation as a whole.
Granted the idea of an equality among believers did pass away within three to four generations and was replaced with a caste system, but that was never the structure during the Apostolic Era.