5 Characteristics of Paul’s Missionary Methods
One characteristic of Paul’s missionary methods is that his maximum stay at a single location was three years.[1] This means that he moved from place to place, planting new churches. Since he moved around so much, there is no way that he could have been considered the permanent pastor at any location. However, while this was Paul's norm, this does not mean that this should be the norm of every missionary.
The second characteristic is that Paul was more willing to focus on the Holy Spirit's guidance than on strategic planning, which is seen in most Western mission agencies today.[2] Although Paul did have a strategic plan for his ministry, that strategic plan was to rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. So, for Paul, there was no one set formula for all churches; rather, he relied on the Holy Spirit to give him the direction he needed to plant and firmly establish different churches at different locations.
A third characteristic of Paul's missionary method is he was an evangelist.[3] Although Paul was very concerned about winning people to Christ, his concern went far beyond that. He was concerned about forming communities of Christians who would then be able to spread the gospel to the whole world.[4] For Paul, winning people to Christ wasn't enough; if he wasn't also training them to win others to Christ, Paul would not feel like his mission was complete.
A fourth characteristic is that Paul was willing to change his approach based on the audience.[5] This is an area that many people do not feel comfortable with, mainly because they feel like if they change the message, then they are changing the entire gospel message, but this is not the case. One must understand that the way of presenting the gospel must change, but the truth never does change. If one is unwilling to change how the gospel is given to reach that certain group, they may never be able to reach them. This is what Paul understood, and he made sure that he customized the message for the group he was speaking to.
A fifth characteristic is that Paul was most concerned about planting churches and moving on to a new location.[6] Paul did keep in contact with the churches he planted, but he expected them to be able to exist independently of him. This means that he focused on making sure he avoided developing a dependence on him. Any minister should take note of this. A church should never feel dependent on the pastor or any other church leader. This does not mean that leadership within the church is not needed, but rather, no one leader should advocate a dependence on their particular leadership.
