Agree.
Just look at any state church in Europe.
Thanks, it's nice to be in agreement sometimes. I believe the role of the prevailing culture and practices of a society/state plays a big part in how churches formalized their structure, claims on authority and doctrine/dogma.
Scripture gave us local bodies united by belief. The structure changed and a dominant hierarchy emerged because of external forces. The people involved in the process were probably mostly well intentioned committed Christians. Its just how we got to where we are.