Shaping Faith through Intercession: The Professional Competence of Christian Religious Education Teachers in Teaching Genesis 18:23–32 at SD Negeri 41 Pekanbaru

Abstract

This study examines how the professional competence of Christian Religious Education teachers contributes to shaping students’ faith through the teaching of intercessory prayer based on the narrative of Abraham in The Bible Genesis 18:23-32 at SD Negeri 41 Pekanbaru. Employing a qualitative experimental approach, the research involved 40 elementary students who participated in a structured instructional intervention consisting of storytelling, theological reflection, teacher modeling, and collaborative prayer practice. Data were collected through classroom observations, student reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, and field notes, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that students initially understood prayer as a self-centered activity focused on personal needs. Through competence-based instruction and authentic teacher modeling, students gradually developed an outward-oriented understanding of prayer as an act of empathy and concern for others. The teacher’s professional competence demonstrated through contextual biblical interpretation, relational pedagogy, and spiritual authenticity played a decisive role in facilitating this transformation. Students exhibited increased emotional engagement, moral awareness, and willingness to practice intercessory prayer for peers and community members. The study highlights that teaching intercessory prayer can serve as an effective pedagogical strategy for nurturing relational faith and social responsibility among elementary learners. It affirms that professional competence in Christian education extends beyond content mastery to include the ability to create meaningful spiritual learning experiences. By integrating narrative theology with participatory practices, teachers can cultivate a form of faith that is both personal and communal. This research contributes to the discourse on faith formation by demonstrating the potential of intercessory prayer as a transformative learning practice within primary Christian education.