earticle

영어

This study explores an indigenous pastoral approach to addressing the complex spiritual and social challenges faced by interfaith families in Indonesia, with particular focus on the Gunung Kidul region. Interfaith marriages, especially between Christians and Muslims, are not merely personal relationships but represent encounters between different religious worldviews, often producing spiritual dissonance, legal ambiguity, and social exclusion. Conventional pastoral care models, typically shaped by Western theological paradigms, tend to emphasise doctrinal uniformity, sacramental practice, and individual spirituality. These approaches often fail to respond adequately to Indonesia’s pluralistic, communal, and culturally diverse context. Through theological reflection, phenomenological analysis, and field-based observations, this study argues for a shift from normative pastoral paradigms toward a contextual and indigenous model. The indigenous approach is rooted in local wisdom, relational values, and communal life, emphasising accompaniment, listening, and shared spiritual reflection rather than instruction or conversion. Drawing on the experiences of interfaith couples in Gunung Kidul, the paper identifies recurring spiritual struggles such as identity confusion, lack of institutional support, worship disconnection, and uncertainty in children’s religious education. These realities point to a need for holistic pastoral care that moves beyond doctrinal rigidity. In response, the study presents a constructive pastoral framework comprising five core functions: healing, sustaining, guiding, reconciling, and nurturing. These functions are not abstract principles but contextual tools for pastoral accompaniment within communities affected by religious diversity. This model reframes pastoral ministry as a communal responsibility shared by all members of the faith community, not solely clergy, and encourages the church to become a space of mutual care, hospitality, and reconciliation. Ultimately, the study contends that a constructive indigenous pastoral model grounded in theology, culture, and community is essential for fostering inclusive, responsive, and healing ministry to interfaith families in Indonesia. It challenges churches to reimagine their role not only as doctrinal institutions but as living, dynamic, and culturally-embedded communities of grace in a pluralistic society.