Did God intend for Paul to show us the kind of Christian life we were all meant to live?
I don't mean every nitty-gritty detail. Obviously things would be different if you were born a woman or mute or disabled, or if you were married or terminally ill, or if you lived in a society that didn't persecute Christians, etc... And I'm not asking in an overly broad sense either: Paul loved God so Christians should love God. I'm talking about Paul's chosen discipleship and evangelism methods.
The algorithm of Paul's life seemed to be to go to a place where the gospel wasn't known, share the gospel and attempt to build a church (sometimes taking years), raise up leaders, double-back to the churches he planted before to make sure they were still following the truth, take mature leaders along with him, and do it over and over again. He also submitted himself to the leadership of Peter, James, and John (the so-called pillars).
This could be seen in contrast to other outreach styles: para-church organizations that don't have pastors, christian musicians/celebrities that go places and preach but don't attempt any church growing, churches that focus primarily on social justice, monk-style Christianity that seeks to escape the world altogether, etc...
I'm not asking whether one is wrong and another is right, but simply if Paul's methods indicate sort of a "best practice".
Here Paul was reproaching, rather tongue-in-cheek, the Corinthians for living such relatively comfortable, lavish lives while Paul and the other Apostles were spending there's on the gospel. Paul seemed to know that what he was doing and the matter in which he was doing it was what God had intended:
1 Cor 4:9-17 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
I again want to emphasize that I'm not asking whether the bible shows that every little detail of Paul's life should be copied. I just wonder if there's indications that show that Paul's life of obedience was the life we were meant to imitate; as revealed through scripture.
EDIT: I think I may have been unclear. Paul intentionally said "...imitate me..." as opposed to "...ask God how he wants you to evangelize..." Plus the majority of the book of Acts is following Paul's life, along with most of the non-Gospel new testament being Paul's efforts in building up the church. Certainly all growth is from God, but we're called to sow the seed and water it. My question is to whether Paul was the man with the ideal seed sowing/watering method we were meant to emulate, as it seems to be so in scripture. This is a question of best-practices; principles, not exceptions.