Lifestyle and leadership according to Paul’s statement of account before the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17–35

Abstract

In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul provides examples of leadership and displays significant leadership skills. In the speech to church leaders from Ephesus in Acts 20, he is presented as giving an account of his approach, detailing all the challenges involved. This article analyses how the Paul of Acts understood his own leadership role, in particular, the need for integrity, emotional involvement in the process and ceaseless effort. The article also examines Paul’s emphasis on the necessity for leaders to exemplify or embody in a perceptible way the values which they convey to others and demand of them.