Spiritual Formation through Christian Education: A Phenomenological Study in Higher Education

Spiritual formation has become a central concern in Christian higher education, particularly in responding to the moral, existential, and psychosocial challenges faced by university students in the Global South. Situated within the Indonesian context, this study examines how spiritual formation is negotiated amid academic pressures, institutional expectations, and socio-cultural realities shaping Christian higher education. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and reflective narratives involving students and lecturers at Calvary Baptist Theological College, Jakarta, Indonesia. The findings reveal that spiritual formation emerges through three interrelated dimensions: (1) transformative learning experiences, (2) relational and pastoral engagement, and (3) the integration of faith, identity, and academic life. Within this context, Christian education is not merely perceived as cognitive religious instruction but as a formative and dialogical space where students actively construct meaning, spirituality, and vocation while navigating academic demands and communal religious expectations. This study contributes to the discourse on Christian religious education by offering an experiential framework for spiritual formation that reflects the distinctive dynamics of Indonesian Christian higher education and provides insights for curriculum development and pedagogical practices in Global South contexts