Kolintang and the Contemporary Church in Indonesia: Contextual, Ecumenical, and Embodied Worship

This article examines the role of Kolintang, a traditional Minahasan percussion instrument, in shaping contextual and ecumenical worship in Indonesian churches. Using a qualitative approach that integrates liturgical ethnography and practical theology, the study draws on participant observation, interviews, and liturgical analysis across congregations in Java and Sulawesi. Findings show that Kolintang enriches worship through embodied and communal expressions of faith, nurtures an incarnational and participatory ecclesiology engaging members across generations and denominations, empowers congregations by strengthening identity, and fosters ecumenical dialogue across traditions. Recognition of Kolintang as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage amplifies its significance and situates it within discourses on heritage preservation and cultural sustainability, while offering transferable insights for diasporic and intercultural churches in Asia and Africa. Overall, the study presents a model of contextual ecclesiology that integrates indigenous musical heritage into global theological discourse, demonstrating how churches remain locally rooted while engaging globally.