Abstract

The culture of quality in Christian education is not merely related to academic standards and administrative mechanisms of quality assurance, but also to the spiritual values that permeate the entire academic life. This study aims to conceptually examine the role of the ethos of service (diakonia) and the value of justice (dikaiosune) in shaping a culture of quality within Christian educational institutions. The approach employed is a reflective literature study by reviewing twenty primary sources, consisting of theological and educational books, five international journals, and three relevant national journals. The findings indicate that a genuine culture of quality grows from the awareness of faith to serve God and others with excellence, honesty, and responsibility. The value of justice functions as an ethical dimension that ensures quality does not merely benefit certain groups but also provides space for growth for the entire academic community. This study proposes a conceptual model of quality culture grounded in the spirituality of service and justice, which strengthens the integrity, professionalism, and witness of Christian educational institutions amid the challenges of globalized higher education. The novelty of this study lies in developing a model of quality culture that integrates the theology of service with the value of justice.

Keywords

  • Quality Culture
  • Service Ethos and Justice
  • Christian Education.

References

  1. 1. Adu, D., & Daniel. (2021). Pengelolaan sumber daya manusia berbasis Pendidikan Agama dalam peningkatan mutu pendidikan Kristen di Indonesia. TELEIOS: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Agama Kristen, 1(2), 181–191. Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Transformasi Indonesia. https://stttransformasi-indonesia.ac.id/e-journal/index.php/teleios/index
  2. 2. Ahmad, U., Ramly, M., Hakim, A., & Graduate, P. (2021). Implementation of Total Quality Management to Support Improving the Quality of Education at Aliyah State Madrasah In Makassar City. International Journal of Social Sciences, 91(1), 1-22. https://repository.umi.ac.id/1194/1/sfdhfrhdg%20file.pdf
  3. 3. BAN-PT. (2024). Laporan akreditasi perguruan tinggi Indonesia tahun 2024. Jakarta: Badan Akreditasi Nasional Perguruan Tinggi.
  4. 4. Camp, R. C. (2025). Quality culture in higher education: Leadership, values, and integrity. London: Routledge.
  5. 5. Christiani, T. K. (2009). Pendidikan agama dalam masyarakat plural. Yogyakarta: Kanisius.
  6. 6. Christiani, T. K. (2009). Spiritualitas dalam pendidikan Kristen. Yogyakarta: ANDI.
  7. 7. Edukasi Kompas. (2024, Juni 20). Daftar perguruan tinggi Kristen dengan akreditasi unggul di Indonesia. Kompas.com. https://edukasi.kompas.com
  8. 8. Evans, K., & Vaandering, D. (2022). Restorative justice in education: Transforming school communities. New York: Teachers College Press.
  9. 9. Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
  10. 10. Gunawan, A. (2021a). Etos pelayanan dan kepemimpinan spiritual dalam pendidikan Kristen. Yogyakarta: ANDI.
  11. 11. Gunawan, A. (2021b). Manajemen mutu pendidikan Kristen. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia.
  12. 12. Gunawan, A. (2021c). Pendidikan Kristen dan budaya mutu: Perspektif iman dalam pengelolaan lembaga. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia.
  13. 13. Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293930180102
  14. 14. Holmes, A. (1987). The idea of a Christian college. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
  15. 15. Hutabarat, R. (2023). Integrasi teologi pelayanan dalam sistem manajemen mutu STT di Indonesia. Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Kristen, 15(2), 112–126.
  16. 16. Innovative Higher Education. (2025). Restorative justice in higher education: An analysis of challenges, strategies, and achievements using normalization process theory. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-025-09756-3
  17. 17. Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi. (2025). Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia Nomor 39 Tahun 2025 tentang Penjaminan Mutu Pendidikan Tinggi. Jakarta: Kemdikbudristek.
  18. 18. Kompas. (2024, Mei 10). Mutu perguruan tinggi Kristen dan Katolik di Indonesia. Kompas.com.
  19. 19. Luvalo, L. M., Linake, M., & Cishe, C. E. (2023). Institutional culture towards addressing social justice in Sub-Saharan Africa higher education institutions. South African Journal of Higher Education.
  20. https://journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/article/view/5230
  21. 20. McGregor, C., & Navin, M. (2022). Justice and education: Ethics, equity, and human flourishing. New York: Oxford University Press.
  22. 21. Moltmann, J. (1993). The theology of hope. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
  23. 22. Nouwen, H. J. M. (1989). In the name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian leadership. New York, NY: Crossroad.
  24. 23. Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  25. 24. Panggabean, J. Z. Z. (2023). Servant leadership: Sebuah strategi inovatif manajemen pendidikan Kristen. ALIGNMENT: Journal of Administration and Educational Management, 7(2). IPM2KPE. https://journal.ipm2kpe.or.id/index.php/ALIGNMENT/article/view/5638
  26. 25. Panjaitan, B., & Naibaho, D. (2024). Kode etik sebagai pilar penguatan integritas dan profesionalisme dalam pendidikan. Jurnal Budi Pekerti Agama Kristen dan Katolik, 2(4), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.61132/jbpakk.v2i4.876
  27. 26. Rentzi, A. (2024). Social justice in education: Creating an inclusive culture at schools through critical multicultural theory. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy.
  28. https://www.ej-edu.org/index.php/ejed/article/view/721
  29. 27. Sallis, E. (2014). Total quality management in education (4th ed.). London: Routledge.
  30. 28. Sendjaya, S. (2022). Servant leadership: Research and practice in the modern era. Cham: Springer.
  31. 29. Siama, J., & Prawono, Y. (2023). Christian principles in school management and their impact on teacher performance (kasih dan keadilan). TEVUNAH: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Kristen, 2(1). Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Luwuk Banggai. https://jurnal.stak-luwukbanggai.ac.id/index.php/tevunah/article/view/89
  32. 30. Sihombing, A. T. M. (2019). Spiritualitas dalam akademik. Jurnal Law Projustitia, 4(2), 42–63. https://ejournal-medan.uph.edu/index.php/lpj/article/view/513
  33. 31. Sihotang, H., & Murniarti, E. (2024). Strategy to Optimize Quality Culture to Increase Lecturer's Commitment to Implementing Three Pillars in Higher Education. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management (IJSRM), 12(8), 3524-3534. https://www.ijsrm.net/index.php/ijsrm/article/view/5560/3446
  34. 32. Simanjuntak, E. (2022). Paradigma mutu dalam pendidikan teologi: Antara spiritualitas dan birokrasi. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Kristen, 9(1), 45–58.
  35. 33. Strike, K. A. (2007). Ethics and college student life. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
  36. 34. Tanugraha, Y., Yulien, F., Havish, F., & Hadi, T. (2023). Servant leadership: Biblical evidences and path to organizational effectiveness. Indonesian Journal of Christian Education & Theology, 3(4). Formosa Publisher. https://journals.formosapublisher.org/index.php/ijcet/article/view/1535
  37. 35. Tilaar, H. A. R. (2012). Pendidikan, kebudayaan, dan masyarakat madani Indonesia. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.
  38. 36. Tilaar, H. A. R. (2012). Perubahan sosial dan pendidikan: Pengantar pedagogik transformatif untuk Indonesia. Jakarta: Grasindo.
  39. 37. UKDW. (2024). Profil akreditasi dan budaya mutu UKDW. Diakses dari https://www.ukdw.ac.id
  40. 38. Van Dierendonck, D., & Patterson, K. (2025). Servant leadership research and practice: A transformative approach. Cham: Springer.
  41. 39. Wolterstorff, N. (2008). Justice: Rights and wrongs. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.