<![CDATA[Abstract. This study examines the development of santri's (students') da'wah (Islamic preaching) competence through the Latihan Khidmat Jam'iyyah (PLKJ) program at Pesantren Persatuan Islam 27 Situaksan, Bandung. The urgency of this research lies in the gap between the theoretical religious knowledge acquired by santri within the relatively homogeneous pesantren environment and their readiness to preach before a plural, heterogeneous public. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the program supervisor, santri participants, and community leaders at the placement sites, as well as through observation and documentation. Data were analyzed descriptively through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results show that prior to PLKJ, santri already possessed latent capital in the three Aristotelian persuasive elements, ethos, pathos, and logos, but these had never been tested before a real, heterogeneous audience. The implementation of PLKJ, structured through George R. Terry's management functions (planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling), systematically strengthened these three elements. After completing the program, santri exhibited significant improvement, particularly in pathos, which develops only through authentic field interaction, while ethos and logos, already strong from pesantren education, developed more incrementally. The community's acknowledgment that the santri's messages were easily understood serves as concrete evidence of successful da'wah rhetoric. This research contributes to communication and da'wah studies and offers practical references for pesantren in designing structured da'i cadre-building programs. Abstract. This study examines the development of santri's (students') da'wah (Islamic preaching) competence through the Latihan Khidmat Jam'iyyah (PLKJ) program at Pesantren Persatuan Islam 27 Situaksan, Bandung. The urgency of this research lies in the gap between the theoretical religious knowledge acquired by santri within the relatively homogeneous pesantren environment and their readiness to preach before a plural, heterogeneous public. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the program supervisor, santri participants, and community leaders at the placement sites, as well as through observation and documentation. Data were analyzed descriptively through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results show that prior to PLKJ, santri already possessed latent capital in the three Aristotelian persuasive elements, ethos, pathos, and logos, but these had never been tested before a real, heterogeneous audience. The implementation of PLKJ, structured through George R. Terry's management functions (planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling), systematically strengthened these three elements. After completing the program, santri exhibited significant improvement, particularly in pathos, which develops only through authentic field interaction, while ethos and logos, already strong from pesantren education, developed more incrementally. The community's acknowledgment that the santri's messages were easily understood serves as concrete evidence of successful da'wah rhetoric. This research contributes to communication and da'wah studies and offers practical references for pesantren in designing structured da'i cadre-building programs.]]>
