Sentence:  We have seen that the folksy spirit is confined to economic <WSD>peers</WSD> ; consequently , the vulnerability to social difference should not be attributed to the stress on personal community in Protestant congregations ; actually , there is little evidence of such personal community in Protestant congregations , as we shall see in another connection . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a person who is of equal standing with another in a group