How large were the churches Paul wrote to?
The churches Paul wrote to were not large congregations of thousands; most met in homes during the Apostolic Age. As house churches, they likely numbered no more than 25 or 30 people. Ephesus may have had a separate building, and Corinth may have been larger, but the general pattern was small home gatherings.
Les explains that the churches Paul wrote to were not humongous congregations of several thousand people. For the most part, they met in homes during the Apostolic Age, which means there could not have been more than 25 or 30 people involved. He notes that Ephesus may have had a separate church building, though he cannot prove it, and Corinth may have been large enough to warrant its own building. Still, the general pattern was small house churches. In Corinth, this little assembly experienced divisions, even though they should have had the same mind. Paul called them brethren because they were believers, both Gentiles and Jews.