Fall 2020/Online Blended

IS500

Huffman

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Kristin M. Huffman.

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 (listening, discernment, guidance, lament, 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 will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar 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. This course modality provisions a fully asynchronous structure enhanced with optional synchronous meeting times. Although it does not require synchronous meeting times, faculty may provide one or more opportunities for live interaction scheduled to support represented time zones.

REQUIRED READING: 1200 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing.

A. Required Textbooks—To be purchased

Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. IVP Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830833337, Pub. Price $22.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [166 pp. assigned].

Brown, Austin Channing. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Bood, 2018. ISBN: 978-1524760854, Pub. Price $25.00. Available as an e-book on both Kindle and in the Fuller Library [175 pp assigned].

Guinness, Os. The Call. Thomas Nelson, 2003. ISBN: 978-0849944376, Pub. Price $17.99. Available as an e-book on Kindle [150 pp.].

Labberton, Mark. Called: The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today. InterVarsity, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830836833, Pub. Price $16.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [172 pp.].

Placher, William C. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802829276, Pub. Price $32.00. Available as an e-book on Kindle [150 of 468 pp. assigned].

Willard, Dallas. Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. IVP Books, (Updated and Expanded edition) 2012. ISBN:978-0830835690, Pub. Price $20.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [200 pp. assigned].

Biblical Texts [approximately 50 pp assigned]

B. Reading for Core Practices

All of the specific assignments (readings, videos, etc.) for the practices will be listed in the Canvas assignments each week. Readings will be available from e-Reserves. This is not a definitive list, check Canvas for the final word.

Listening:

Wimberly, Anne-Streaty. Called to Listen: The Imperative Vocation of Listening in Twenty First Century Faith Communities. International Review of Mission [11pp] (On E-Reserves)

Guidance:

Willard, Dallas. Hearing God. (see details above)

Nouwen, Henri. Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith. “How Do I hear the Word?” [21pp] (On E-Reserves)

Lament:

Greene-McCreight, Kathryn. Darkness is my only companion. [16pp] (On E-Reserves)

Discernment:

Willard, Dallas. Hearing God. (see details above)

Smith, Gordon T. Listening to God in Times of Choice: the Art of Discerning God’s Will. “Dancing with God” [15pp] (On E-Reserves)

Stewardship:

Bruggeman, Walter. The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity. The Christian Century [6pp] (On E-Reserves)

Simplicity:

Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. “The Discipline of Simplicity” [15pp] (on E-Reserves)

Rhythms of Rest:

Johnson, Ben Campbell and Andrew Dreitcer. Resting in God. Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders [16pp] (on E-Reserves)

Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. (see details above)

Honoring the Body:

Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. (see details above)

Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart, Ch 9 “Transforming the Body”. NavPres 2012 [19pp] (On E-Reserves)

C. Integration Resources

Students will also be assigned readings, videos etc., that connect the practices of this course with biblical/theological resources and contemporary resources. These will also be assigned by week and will complete the remaining reading pages.

D. StrengthsFinders

*Students in IS500 are required to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment. There will be a $40 charge for StrengthFinder® assessment.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1200 pages reading plus videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [50 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. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [22 hours+8 hours].
Autobiography: Students will create an autobiography related to practices of vocational formation (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [3 hours].
Directed Exercises and Disciplines: Student will participate over the quarter in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom related to the core practices of the course. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [10 hours].
Integrative Reflections: Students will engage in critical theological reflection on contextualized experiences using a practical theology or similar method. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3.] [15 hours].
Fieldwork Activity - StrengthsFinders and CoreClarity Coaching: 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. (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and #2] [4 hours].
Finances and Vocation: Students will write a financial autobiography, use a practical theology method to reflect on finances, and create a resulting financial plan that supports vocational goals. (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2 and #3]. [8 hours].
Final Integrative Assignment: 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. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [25 hours].
Additional assignments: Students will participate in 10 weekly Canvas discussion forums, reflecting and interacting with classmates on assigned readings and other aspects of vocational formation. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [15 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.