What were early New Testament churches like in terms of buildings and paid pastors?
The early churches met in homes. They did not have full paid pastors as we do now, nor building complexes that had to be maintained or built or paid interest on the loan. Their local church economy was very limited, but Paul still admonished them to give.
Les explains that these early churches met in homes, and they did not have full paid pastors as we do now. They also did not have building complexes that had to be maintained or built and paid interest on the loan. So the economy of these local churches was very limited, but Paul still admonished them to give. Before II Corinthians 8, Les goes back to Galatians 2 to show what prompted Paul to encourage these Gentiles to bring their offerings. That setting is the Jerusalem Council at about 51 or 52 A.D., when the Jewish people at Jerusalem—Peter, James and John and the other members of the local Jewish congregation—had called Paul up to Jerusalem to settle the issue that he could no longer tell Gentiles they could be saved without keeping the Law, without practicing circumcision and so forth.