Antara Panggilan dan Godaan: Dinamika Motivasi Hamba Tuhan di Tengah Tantangan Uang dan Era Digital
(1) Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Sangkakala, Salatiga, Indonesia
(2) Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Sangkakala, Salatiga, Indonesia
(3) Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Sangkakala, Salatiga, Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
Spiritual ministry in the digital age takes place amid complex economic pressures and a culture of consumerism. Global economic transformation, labour market disruption, and the expansion of social media require ministers to balance their commitment to their spiritual calling with material challenges. This study aims to analyse the dynamics of clergy motivation in negotiating their calling and the lure of money amid economic challenges and the culture of digital visibility. This study uses a qualitative literature review method. It can be concluded that the temptation of money in ministry is a multi-layered phenomenon involving systemic, structural, and subjective dimensions, which the digital age reinforces through the culture of the visibility economy, performativity, and the monetisation of spiritual ministry. This dynamic often gives rise to narratives of justification that shift the meaning of blessings from the spiritual dimension to material legitimacy, thereby significantly affecting ministry motivation and congregational well-being. Therefore, intervention strategies are needed that emphasise deep spiritual formation, transparent accountability systems, and critical digital literacy so that servants of God remain faithful to their divine calling amid economic and digital cultural pressures
Abstrak
Pelayanan rohani di era digital berlangsung di tengah tekanan ekonomi dan budaya konsumtif yang kompleks. Transformasi ekonomi global, disrupsi pasar kerja, dan ekspansi media sosial menuntut hamba Tuhan untuk menyeimbangkan kesetiaan pada panggilan rohani dengan tantangan materi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dinamika motivasi hamba Tuhan dalam menegosiasikan panggilan dan godaan uang di tengah tantangan ekonomi dan budaya visibilitas digital. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif studi pustaka. Maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa godaan uang dalam pelayanan merupakan fenomena bertingkat yang melibatkan dimensi sistemik, struktural, dan subjektif, di mana era digital turut memperkuatnya melalui budaya visibility economy, performativitas, dan monetisasi pelayanan rohani. Dinamika ini sering kali melahirkan narasi pembenaran yang menggeser makna berkat dari dimensi spiritual menuju legitimasi material, sehingga memengaruhi motivasi pelayanan dan kesejahteraan jemaat secara nyata. Karena itu, diperlukan strategi intervensi yang menekankan formasi rohani yang mendalam, sistem akuntabilitas yang transparan, serta literasi digital yang kritis agar hamba Tuhan tetap setia pada panggilan ilahi di tengah tekanan ekonomi dan budaya digital.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Arifianto, Yonatan Alex. “Pengaruh Literasi Digital Dan Motivasi Pemberitaan Injil Terhadap Pelayanan Media Gembala: Studi Terhadap Pendeta Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI) Se-Provinsi Jawa Tengah.” Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Baptis Indonesia, Semarang, 2022.
Barna Group. “Pastoral Compensation Hits New High.” 2023. https://www.barna.com/research/pastoral-compensation-2023.
BBC News Indonesia. “Gaya Hidup Mewah Pendeta Dan Kritik Publik: Antara Berkat Dan Kontroversi.” 2020. https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-51593786.
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Revised. New York: Routledge, 2011.
Campbell, Heidi A., and Ruth Tsuria. Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in Digital Media. London: Routledge, 2021.
Chen, R., Z. Xin, Q. Xiao, R. Xiao, J. Shen, and Z. Lu. “The Digital Landscape of God: Narrative, Visuals and Viewer Engagement of Religious Videos on YouTube.” arXiv Preprint arXiv:2509.10957 (2025). https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.10957.
Creswell, John W., and Cheryl N. Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2018.
Chendralisan, Lenny H S. “Motivasi Gembala Jemaat Di Tengah-Tengah
Pelayanan Yang Kompleks Ditinjau Dari Perspektif Pastoral.”
Jurnal Teologi Dikaiosune 1, no. 2 (2024): 68–74.
Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. New York: Guilford Press, 2017.
Dwikoryanto, Matius I Totok, and Yonatan Alex Arifianto. “Personal Branding Dan Pemimpin Kristen: Kepemimpinan Dalam Era Internet Of Things.” Veritas Lux Mea (Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristen), 2023. https://doi.org/10.59177/veritas.v5i2.232.
Febrian, H. “Visualizing Authority: Rise of the Religious Influencers on Instagram.” SAGE Journals, 2024. https://journals.sagepub.com.
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, 1973.
Group, Barna. “Pastoral Compensation Hits New High.” 2023. https://www.barna.com.
GuideStone Research. “Pastoral Wellness Survey Finds Pastors Struggle with Stresses.” 2024. https://www.guidestone.org.
Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Jatmiko, B., and D. E. Zega. “Etika Keuangan Hamba Tuhan: Kajian Eksegetikal Terhadap 1 Timotius 6:3–10.” Integritas: Jurnal Teologi 3, no. 2 (2021): 133–47.
Johnson, R. P. “The Gospel and the Prosperity Gospel: Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now—A Theological Critique.” Political Theology 19, no. 5 (2018): 383–401.
Kompas. “Kontroversi Gaya Hidup Mewah Pendeta Dan Persepsi Publik Tentang Pelayanan.” 2021. https://www.kompas.com.
Kristenson, R., and J. P. Tobing. “Peran Uang Dalam Pelayanan Penggembalaan.” Lentera Nusantara 3, no. 2 (2024): 130–45.
Mangali, A. “Hamba Uang: Kajian Teologis Tentang Penyebab Kasus Korupsi Berdasarkan 2 Timotius 3:2a.” Jurnal Mello 1, no. 2 (2020): 35–47.
Manurung, Kosma. “Mencermati Hakikat Uang Dalam Perspektif Pentakosta-Karismatik.” DUNAMIS: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristiani 6, no. 1 (2021): 350–65. https://doi.org/10.30648/dun.v6i1.528.
Moleong, Lexy J. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Revisi. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 2019.
National Association of Evangelicals. “Majority of Pastors Suffer in Silence Over Financial Challenges.” 2016. https://www.nae.org.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “Minister Survey Shows Pastors Struggle with Consumer Debt, Retirement Planning.” 2022. https://www.pcusa.org.
Research, Lifeway. “Pastors Report the Economy’s Continued Negative Impact on Churches.” 2023. https://research.lifeway.com.
Saldaña, Johnny. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. 4th ed. London: SAGE, 2021.
Sulistyo, Eko, Talizaro Tafonao, and Septerianus Waruwu. “Memahami Peran Generasi Dalam Tonggak Kepemimpinan: Menavigasi Tantangan Dan Peluang Gereja Di Era Digital Sebagai Bagian Dari Relevansi Pelayanan.” Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin 1, no. 2 (February 1, 2024): 87–105. https://doi.org/10.62282/juilmu.v1i2.87-105.
Susanto, Budi, and Paulus Kunto Baskoro. “Perspektif Integritas Atas Finansial: Bendahara Tidak Jujur Menurut Lukas 16: 1-18.” DIDASKO: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristen 5, no. 1 (2025): 64–75.
The Guardian. “Nigeria’s Instagram Pastors: Flaunting Wealth as Proof of God’s Blessing.” 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/17/nigeria-instagram-pastors-wealth-blessing.
Thiselton, Anthony C. Hermeneutics: An Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009.
Utari, R., R. Hastuti, and S. Andrianti. “Pengaruh Pemahaman Mengikut Yesus Menurut Matius 16:24 Terhadap Motivasi Menjadi Hamba Tuhan.” Evangelikal: Jurnal Teologi Injili 5, no. 1 (2021): 88–104.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47530/jto.v2i2.289
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rouli Berliana, Esti Regina Boiliu, Reni Triposa

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Published by: Biro Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (BPPM) Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Terpadu Pesat Salatiga
Institution Website: http://stak-pesat.ac.id/
Address: RT09/RW01, Desa Lopait, Kecamatan Tuntang, Kabupaten Semarang - Jawa Tengah
e-jurnal Website: https://stak-pesat.ac.id/e-journal/index.php/Tikkun-Olam/index
Email Contact: olamtikkun0@gmail.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).