Cold, damp, dark catacombs
An endless maze of underground tunnels where early Christians buried their dead, hid, and gathered for worship. These passageways go for miles and are filled with ancient art and inscriptions. This one is under the City of Rome. Almost forgotten for a thousand years.
If you like hanging out with the dead, this is your kind of place.
Enterprising souls soon found a lucrative market for the "bones of the martyrs". Proof that human nature has not changed.
The subterranean inscriptions - do they teach us anything about church leadership? Yes, they do. I will bring these forward very soon
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Just remember that church eldership and leadership were moving targets in the early years. Brotherhood slowly gave way to higher and lower class of Christians - the clergy and laity.
At first, Christian elders or seniors were bishops or overseers. Later some became "the bishop".
OK, on this subject of catacombs and death, don't forget what became of the betrayal money given to Judas. It was eventually redeemed and used to purchase land for burial grounds.
And?
This shows that material things have their proper place and that the early church did indeed buy property, though on rare occasions and not comparable to the modern church mortgage.
The great issue is what you are doing wherever you are - not where you are. With respect to honoring God. He doesn't dwell in man-made temples and through faith He is in reach of all who call upon his name.