RELATIONAL SERVICE AS AN APPROACH TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR GENERATION Z AND ALPHA IN GKS KERENAPU

FROM STRATEGY INFLUENCES TOWARDS PLACE-SHARING THEOLOGY

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of place-sharing theology and relational ministry as an approach to Christian educationIN in GKS Jemaat Kerenapu, Kodi, Southwest Sumba. This is connected to the context of digital disruption and the phenomenon of the loss of parental roles for Generation Z and Alpha in GKS Jemaat Kerenapu. Departing from the reality of Generation Z and Alpha, who live in a digitally connected world yet experience a crisis of loneliness and spiritual literacy, this writing critiques Christian education approaches that are instrumental and oriented toward doctrinal transfer. Using the theological framework of Andrew Root’s Relational Youth Ministry and Mark Yaconelli’s Contemplative Youth Ministry, this paper reconstructs Christian education as incarnational praxis through the theology of place-sharing. The method employed is qualitative research based on literature study and contextual analysis. The findings show that Christian education rooted in relational presence, solidarity in suffering, and contemplative practices enables the church to become a safe space that humanizes Generation Z and Alpha, particularly within the context of GKS Jemaat Kerenapu at the intersection of local culture and global digital currents.