Professionalism of Christian Religious Education Teachers in Cultivating Worship Spirituality: An Exegetical Study of Exodus 26:30 at SDN 1 Suka Maju

Abstract

This study examines the professionalism of Christian Religious Education (CRE/PAK) teachers in cultivating students’ worship spirituality through an exegetical reflection on Exodus 26:30 at SDN 1 Suka Maju, Musi Banyuasin. The research is grounded in the recognition that effective faith formation requires not only theological accuracy but also strong professional competence in pedagogy and spiritual modeling. Considering the limited number of Christian learners (7 students) and Christian teachers (2 teachers, including the CRE teacher) at the research site, the study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to synthesize relevant scholarly insights rather than relying on statistical generalization. The review followed structured stages of identification, screening, eligibility, and thematic synthesis of peer-reviewed sources related to teacher professionalism, worship pedagogy, and the theology of Exodus 26:30. The findings indicate that CRE teacher professionalism is multidimensional, integrating pedagogical content knowledge, exegetical depth, and personal spiritual integrity. Effective cultivation of worship spirituality occurs when teachers translate the theological emphasis on obedience and sacred order in Exodus 26:30 into interactive, reflective, and contextually meaningful learning experiences. The synthesis further shows that multimodal pedagogy, teacher modeling, and ecological collaboration with families and churches significantly strengthen students’ internalization of worship values. In minority school contexts, the quality of teacher professionalism is more decisive than the size of the Christian population. The study concludes that strengthening the professional competence of CRE teachers represents a strategic pathway for deepening students’ worship spirituality. Implications are offered for teacher professional development, instructional design, and future empirical research in Christian education within small and minority learning environments.