Christian Churches and Churches of Christ hold a nuanced interpretation of Matthew 16:18. Peter is affirmed as a foundational apostle to whom Christ granted authority, but this is not understood as establishing papal succession or hierarchical ecclesiastical authority. The passage is interpreted in harmony with 1 Corinthians 3:11 (Christ as the foundation) and 1 Peter 2:4-5 (the Church built on Christ). Peter's role is apostolic—foundational to the Church's beginning—but not transferable to a historical succession of bishops in Rome.

Christian Churches emphasize congregational polity and democratic decision-making, with leadership distributed among elders and deacons. The binding and loosing authority is understood as applying to the apostolic community or to the Church generally, not as conferring special papal power. This reflects the Restoration Movement's rejection of hierarchical church structures.