What was Paul’s first missionary journey like?
Where did Paul go? Which cities did he visit? Who traveled with him? What happened along the way?
Paul’s first missionary journey is recorded in Acts 13–14, and it is much more than a list of ancient place names. It is a story of travel, preaching, opposition, miracles, new believers, difficult decisions, and perseverance.
Paul and Barnabas were sent out from Antioch in Syria, traveled through Cyprus and into southern Asia Minor, and eventually reached Derbe. They then retraced much of their route before returning to Antioch.
For teachers, this journey also presents an opportunity.
Teaching the Bible to preteens can be difficult.
Preteens live in a world filled with notifications, videos, games, social media, entertainment, and constant distractions. Asking them simply to “sit down and listen to a Bible lesson” can sometimes make it difficult to hold their attention.
That doesn’t mean the Bible needs to compete with entertainment by becoming entertainment.
Instead, we can look for ways to get preteens into the Bible itself.
Games, challenges, maps, puzzles, investigations, and team activities can give students a reason to open the Bible, search for answers, read the text carefully, and discover the story for themselves.
Paul’s first missionary journey is particularly well suited to this approach because Acts 13–14 already reads like an adventure.
Let’s follow the journey.
Where Did Paul’s First Missionary Journey Begin?
Paul’s first missionary journey began at Antioch in Syria.
Acts 13 describes a group of prophets and teachers worshiping and fasting when the Holy Spirit directed the church to set apart Barnabas and Saul for a special work. After praying and laying hands on them, the church sent them out.
This is important because Paul did not simply decide one morning that he wanted to take a trip.
The journey began with the church at Antioch sending Paul and Barnabas out for the work to which they had been called.
Starting point:
Antioch in Syria
📖 Read: Acts 13:1–3
From there, the journey began.
Paul’s First Missionary Journey Map
A map makes the journey much easier to understand.
Paul and Barnabas traveled from Antioch down to Seleucia, sailed to Cyprus, crossed the island from Salamis to Paphos, then sailed to Perga in Pamphylia.
From Perga they traveled inland through Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
They then turned around and retraced much of the route before sailing from Attalia back toward Antioch in Syria.
One interesting detail is that there were two different cities called Antioch connected with the journey:
- Antioch in Syria — where the journey began and ended.
- Antioch in Pisidia — a city Paul visited later in the journey.
That distinction is important when reading Acts 13–14.
The Route: 10 Key Places in Acts 13–14
Here is a simple way to follow Paul’s journey through Scripture.
| # | Place | What Happened | Bible Passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antioch in Syria | Paul and Barnabas were sent out | Acts 13:1–3 |
| 2 | Seleucia | They traveled to the seaport | Acts 13:4 |
| 3 | Salamis | They preached in the Jewish synagogues | Acts 13:5 |
| 4 | Paphos | They encountered Sergius Paulus and Elymas | Acts 13:6–12 |
| 5 | Perga | John Mark left the team | Acts 13:13 |
| 6 | Antioch in Pisidia | Paul preached in the synagogue | Acts 13:14–52 |
| 7 | Iconium | Many believed, but opposition developed | Acts 14:1–7 |
| 8 | Lystra | Paul healed a man and was later attacked | Acts 14:8–20 |
| 9 | Derbe | Paul and Barnabas preached and made disciples | Acts 14:20–21 |
| 10 | Attalia | They traveled to the coast before returning to Antioch | Acts 14:25–26 |
The sequence comes directly from the narrative of Acts 13–14, with the journey’s return described in Acts 14.
Let’s look at each stage.
1. Antioch in Syria — The Journey Begins
Paul’s journey begins in the church at Antioch.
Barnabas and Saul were among the leaders and teachers there. During worship and fasting, the Holy Spirit instructed the church to set them apart for the work to which they had been called.
The church prayed, laid hands on them, and sent them out.
📖 Acts 13:1–3
Teaching point
Before Paul traveled anywhere, there was a community behind him.
The journey began with worship, prayer, calling, and sending.
2. Seleucia — The Journey Moves to the Coast
Paul and Barnabas traveled down to Seleucia, the seaport associated with Antioch.
From there they sailed to Cyprus.
Seleucia may seem like a small detail, but this is exactly the kind of detail that can help preteens understand that Bible stories happened in real places.
Paul wasn’t traveling through an imaginary Bible landscape.
He was moving from city to city across the ancient Mediterranean world.
📖 Acts 13:4
3. Salamis — Preaching in the Synagogues
After arriving in Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas went to Salamis.
Acts tells us that they preached the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues, and John was with them as their assistant.
This is also our first introduction to an important member of the team:
John Mark.
He would later leave the group at Perga.
📖 Acts 13:5
4. Paphos — A Confrontation on Cyprus
Paul and Barnabas traveled across Cyprus until they reached Paphos.
There they encountered Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, who wanted to hear God’s Word.
A sorcerer named Elymas opposed them and attempted to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Paul confronted him, and the account says that Elymas became blind for a time. Sergius Paulus then believed when he saw what had happened and was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
📖 Acts 13:6–12
This is one of the first dramatic turning points of the journey.
Paul’s mission was not simply about traveling from one city to another.
Every location brought people, conversations, opportunities, and opposition.
5. Perga — John Mark Leaves
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia.
This is where something unexpected happened.
John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
Acts tells us what happened but does not give a reason for John’s departure at this point.
That detail becomes important later when Paul and Barnabas disagree about taking John Mark with them again.
📖 Acts 13:13
For preteens, this is a useful reminder:
Bible characters experienced difficult situations too.
The people in Acts were real people making decisions, facing opposition, dealing with disappointment, and continuing God’s work.
6. Antioch in Pisidia — Paul Speaks in the Synagogue
Paul and Barnabas continued inland to Antioch in Pisidia.
On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue.
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders invited them to speak.
Paul stood up and delivered a message that connected Israel’s history with God’s promises and with Jesus.
This is one of the longest recorded speeches of the journey.
📖 Acts 13:14–52
Paul’s message eventually led to both belief and opposition.
The following Sabbath, many people gathered to hear the Word of the Lord. Opposition arose, Paul and Barnabas were expelled from the region, and they continued to Iconium.
7. Iconium — Opposition Grows
At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas again went into the synagogue.
Acts 14 says that many Jews and Greeks believed.
But opposition also developed.
Eventually, they learned that both Gentiles and Jews were planning to mistreat and stone them, so they fled to the surrounding area and continued preaching the gospel.
📖 Acts 14:1–7
The journey was becoming increasingly difficult.
Yet Paul and Barnabas continued.
8. Lystra — A Miracle and a Crowd That Gets It Wrong
Lystra is one of the most memorable stops on Paul’s first missionary journey.
A man who had never been able to walk was listening to Paul.
Paul saw that the man had faith to be healed and told him to stand up.
The man jumped up and began walking.
The crowd saw what had happened and drew the wrong conclusion.
They thought Paul and Barnabas were gods who had come down in human form. They called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes.
Paul and Barnabas immediately rejected the attention and urged the crowd to turn from these things to the living God.
But the story didn’t end there.
People arrived from Antioch and Iconium, persuaded the crowd against Paul, and Paul was stoned and dragged outside the city.
Yet Paul got up and went back into the city.
📖 Acts 14:8–20
Lystra gives teachers an enormous amount to work with:
- A dramatic miracle
- A confused crowd
- Greek gods
- Paul explaining who God is
- Opposition
- Paul being attacked
- Paul getting back up
- The journey continuing
This is not a boring Bible story.
It is an adventure.
9. Derbe — The Journey Reaches Its Furthest Point
After Lystra, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Derbe.
There they preached the gospel and made many disciples.
📖 Acts 14:20–21
Derbe represents the furthest point of the outward portion of the journey.
But they weren’t finished.
Instead of simply finding the easiest route home, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps through the cities where they had previously experienced opposition.
10. Attalia — And Then Home
Paul and Barnabas returned through the region, strengthening the disciples and appointing elders in the churches.
They traveled through Perga and then went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed back to Antioch in Syria, the church that had originally sent them out.
When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported what God had done through their journey and how a door of faith had been opened to the Gentiles.
📖 Acts 14:21–28
And that’s how Paul’s first missionary journey ends.
Not with Paul simply saying:
“That was a great trip.”
They returned to the church and told the story of what God had done.
Paul’s First Missionary Journey Route — Quick Summary
The journey can be remembered like this:
Antioch → Seleucia → Salamis → Paphos → Perga → Antioch in Pisidia → Iconium → Lystra → Derbe → return through the region → Attalia → Antioch
The exact travel routes between some locations are reconstructed from the biblical narrative and geography, so maps may differ slightly in how they draw the route. The biblical sequence of the major locations, however, comes from Acts 13–14.
Why Is Paul’s First Missionary Journey Important for Preteens?
This is where the story becomes especially useful for teachers.
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that teaching the Bible means making preteens sit still while an adult explains the Bible to them.
But the Bible itself is full of movement, questions, people, places, decisions, surprises, conflicts, and discoveries.
Paul’s first missionary journey has all of those things.
So why not let students investigate it?
Instead of:
“Today I’m going to tell you about Paul’s first missionary journey.”
Try:
“Your team has been given a mission. You need to use the Bible to discover where Paul went, what happened, who he encountered, and what his world was like.”
Suddenly, the Bible becomes part of the activity.
The students have to open it.
They have to find the passage.
They have to read carefully.
They have to compare information.
They have to work together.
And eventually they discover the answer themselves.
That is a very different experience from simply being given the answer.
Why Bible Games Can Help Get Preteens Into the Bible
The goal of a Bible game shouldn’t be to replace Bible teaching.
The goal can be to create a reason to engage with the Bible.
A well-designed Bible game can turn:
“Read Acts 13–14.”
into:
“Find the city Paul traveled to next.”
Or:
“Search Acts 14 and discover what happened in Lystra.”
Or:
“What world did Paul come from?”
The game becomes the vehicle, while Scripture remains the source of the answers.
That distinction matters.
The students aren’t playing a game that happens to have a Bible theme.
They are using the Bible to solve the game.
Paul’s First Missionary Journey as a Bible Adventure
For preteens, you could break Acts 13–14 into four big questions:
🗺️ WHERE?
Where did Paul go?
Students can follow Paul’s route through the Mediterranean and identify the cities mentioned in Acts.
🔎 WHAT?
What did Paul do?
They can investigate events such as the healing at Lystra.
👥 WHO?
Who did Paul encounter?
They can discover people such as Barnabas, John Mark, Sergius Paulus, Elymas, and others.
🌍 WORLD?
What was Paul’s world like?
They can explore the Jewish synagogue setting, Roman cities, Greek culture, travel, religion, and the different communities Paul encountered.
These questions transform Acts 13–14 from a list of verses into a story that students can investigate.
Want to Turn Acts 13–14 Into a Bible Adventure?
If you’re teaching preteens about Paul’s first missionary journey, a printable escape room can turn the journey into an interactive Bible investigation.
Paul’s Journey #1 — Escape Room Adventure takes preteens through Acts 13–14 using four connected, Scripture-based challenges:
- 🗺️ WHERE — Discover where Paul traveled
- 🔎 WHAT — Discover what Paul did in Lystra
- 👥 WHO — Discover who Paul encountered
- 🌍 WORLD — Explore the world Paul lived and ministered in
Students read Scripture, follow clues, solve puzzles, work together, complete a final mission summary, and earn a Mission Complete Certificate.
The Bible is not just the theme of the game. The Bible is how they solve it.
Explore Paul’s First Missionary Journey. Read the Bible. Solve the clues. Discover the story.
You can also go directly to our Etsy store and purchase the Escape Room Puzzle on Paul’s First Journey directly.