Winter 2020/Fuller Online

IS500

Howell

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Bradley Howell.

DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS500 teaches students a method for integrating resources of theological method into faithful responses to the human condition. As an integrative course, it explores the identity and practices of Christian vocational formation as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (discernment, guidance, lament, listening, rhythms of rest, and stewardship) fashioning them into a Rule of Life that shapes and supports the student’s vocation in order to form students who demonstrate capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will have demonstrated capacities to critically reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of vocational formation. (2) Students will have demonstrated through participation in local contexts the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of vocational formation. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of vocational formation. (4) Students will have articulated how vocational practices impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will introduce students to one or more strategies for integrating theological and missiological content with life experience and context through engaging a variety of spiritual practices around vocational formation, which is consistent with the SOT/SIS PLO “Students will have demonstrated capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.” (MDiv, MAT, MATM, MAICS). The emphases on integration and vocational formation this course provide introduction to the MAICS learning outcome related to critical thinking and integration and the learning outcome related to vocation (MAICS). This course may also contribute to various learning outcomes in the MAGL related to integrating theology and praxis in ministry and mission, and related to spiritual formation (MAGL).

COURSE FORMAT: This course meets ten weeks online (which includes required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in vocation and formation groups) for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: 1,173 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing.

Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms.IVP Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830833337, Pub Price $22.00.Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [165 pp. assigned].

Labberton, Mark.Called, The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today. IVP Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830836833, Pub Price $16.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [174 pp. assigned].

Phillips, Susan.The Cultivated Life: From Ceaseless Striving to Receiving Joy. IVP, 2015. ISBN: 978-0830835980, Pub. Price $18.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [125 pp. assigned].

Placher, William C. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802829276, Pub. Price $32.00 [150-200 pp. assigned].

Genesis 5, Numbers 11, 1 Samuel 16, 21:10-14, II Samuel 17&19, I Kings 2, Ezra 2:61, Psalm 34,Jeremiah 1&18, Lamentations; Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:21-33; Matthew 12:46-50; John 19:23-26; Acts 1:4-14, II Timothy 3&4. [approx. 43 pp. assigned]

Listening and Rhythms of Rest:

Newell, Philip J. Listening for the Heartbeat of God. Paulist Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0809137596, Pub. Price $11.95 [112 pp. assigned].

Guidance and Discernment:

Palmer, Parker.Let Your Life Speak. Jossey-Bass, 1999. ISBN: 978-0787947354, Pub. Price $18.95.Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [100 pp. assigned].

Lament:

Rah, Soong-Chan. Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times, InterVarsity Press, 2015 ISBN: 978-0830836949, Pub. Price $18.00 [184 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Stewardship:

Cavanaugh, William. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN: 978-0802845610, Pub. Price $14.00 [120 pp. assigned].

StrengthsFinders

*Students in IS500 are required to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, receive a CoreClarity coaching packet based off of their top 5 strengths, and participate in a 45-minute coaching call with a CoreClarity coach. There will be a $40 charge for StrengthFinder® assessment, Coaching Packet, and Coaching Session which will automatically be charged to your student account.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1,173 pages reading (including about 43 pages of biblical text) and approximately 3 hours of videos [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [62 hours]
Online and Vocation Formation Group (VFG) Participation: Students will participate in active learning to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection in the online classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
Autobiography (500 words): Students will create an autobiographical case study and a contextual reflection related to practices of vocational formation (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [4 hours].
Directed Exercises, Disciplines and Fieldwork: Student will participate over the quarter in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom related to the core practices of the course. In addition, students will take the Strengthsfinders/CoreClarity Assessment and debrief the results via a phone call with a professional executive coach to learn more about their strengths and how to better grow them in use for God’s mission in the world. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and #2] [18 hours].
Integrative Reflections: Students will engage in critical theological reflection on contextualized experiences using a practical theology or similar method. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3.] [12 hours].
Finances and Vocation (1000 words): Students will write a financial autobiography using a practical theology method to reflect on finances, creating a financial plan that supports vocational goals. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2 and #3]. [10 hours].
Final Integrative Assignment (4000 words): Integration paper that reflects theologically on the practices of this course and their implications for the student’s response to the CIQ and the exercises, habits, and disciplines in their current Rule of Life. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [14 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integration requirement in the 120 MDiv and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.