Paul's Urban Strategies: Jerusalem to Crete

It has often been assumed that Paul targeted the major cities in the provinces in which he engaged in missionary work; indeed, his mission has been described as a “metropolis mission.” This essay investigates the various phases of Paul’s missionary work, beginning with his work in Damascus and in Arabia right after his conversion until his visit to Crete shortly before he was imprisoned for a second time. The available evidence of Paul’s letters and of Luke’s account in the book of Acts does not support the theory that Paul strategically targeted the major cities. Paul’s “method” of selecting cities for missionary work cannot be described with a simple formula because the locations of his ministry were determined by the particular situation of time, place, and opportunity.