Church Growth After Constantine
A turning point for Christians came with Constantine, the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. In 311AD, through the Edict of Toleration, he gave Christians permission to worship in public for the first time. Church councils now met that brought together Bishops from many nations, enabling easier communication and maintenance of the faith's orthodoxy. Church infrastructure grew with stand alone buildings and staffs of workers, which, in turn, attracted more followers. Evangelistic efforts now intensified further into northern Europe and eastward to India and Russia. During the reign of Constantine, the Church became organized like a government, much as it still is today. The position of Pope evolved as the head of the Church. The first Pope was ordained in 384AD. That Pope and all the prior Bishops of Rome connected back to Peter. Bishops supervise dioceses, which control geographic territories. Several dioceses may be combined under an archdiocese. The Bishop resides in a cathedral, a place recognized by the followers as the seat, where power is concentrated. Priests manage local parishes which are local subsets of the dioceses. Clergy are ordained members of the Church staff, while non-ordained Church goers are referred to as laity. Additionally, another level of clergy developed, called Cardinals, who are appointees of the Pope. They may assist the Pope in the Vatican (the home of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome) or may run local archdioceses.
Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in 327AD. This had the effect of accelerating the growth of the Church toward the east. The Church enjoyed much popular acceptance and became an agency of the government in future years. After Constantine's rule, the Roman Empire started being attacked by "barbarian" invaders, Various territorial emperors came and went in the centuries that followed, resulting in the Empire completely falling apart by the mid 400sAD. The new emperors, whether Christian emperors or pagan emperors, generally adopted the Church as a tool of their government to maintain order and sustain cultural development. Christianity became the only accepted religion most everywhere. The emperors granted Bishops tracts of land and made the Church rich. The Popes became more political and bargained with the emperors for power. Despite much potential for disagreements and power struggles inside and outside, the Church held together as one until the mid eleventh century, calling itself the Catholic Church (catholic meaning universal in Latin).
