Fall 2016/Fuller Online

IS502

Rozko

IS502:  PRACTICES OF COMMUNITY  (4 Units: 160 hours).  JR Rozko.

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. IS502 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian community, as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (Hospitality, Truth-telling, Promise-keeping, Forgiveness, Christian Formation, Gratitude, Testimony, and Group Spiritual Direction).

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of community; (2) Students will participate in local contexts and demonstrate the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of community; (3) Students will demonstrate the capacity to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic practices of community; (4) Students will articulate how community 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.

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: [984 pp. | primary texts = 527 pp.; core practice texts = 407pp.; Scripture = 50pp.]

  1. Pohl, Christine. Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us. Eerdmans, 2011. ISBN: 978-0802849854, Pub. Price $20.00 [178 pp. assigned].

  2. Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus and Community. Fortress, 1984. ISBN: 978-0800618025, Pub. Price $29.00 [187 pp. assigned].

  3. Fitch, David E., and Geoff Holsclaw. Prodigal Christianity: Ten Signposts into the Missional Frontier. Jossey-Bass, 2013. ISBN: 978-1118203262, Pub. Price $24.95 [162 pp. assigned].

  4. CORE PRACTICES:

    1. Gratitude

    1. Promise-Keeping

Included in Pohl, Christine. Living into Community [Chs. 5-7, pp. 61-110].

    1. Truth-Telling [10 mins. viewing]

  2. Included in Pohl, Christine. Living into Community [Chs. 8-10, pp. 111-157].

  3. The Danger of Silence (https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence)

      1. Hospitality [74 pp.]

    Branson, Mark Lau and Juan Martínez. Churches, Cultures and Leadership. InterVarsity, 2011. ISBN: 978-0830839261, Pub. Price $25.00. Reading includes the following chapters:

    “Introduction,” 11-28.

    “Practical Theology and Multicultural Initiatives,” 33-57.

    “Missional Ecclesiology and Church Context,” 59-76.

    “Sociocultural Structures, Ethnicity, and Churches,” 78-94.

      1. Testimony [87 pp.]

    Daniel, Lillian. Tell It Like It Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005. ISBN: 978-1566993180, Pub. Price $19.00 [Chs. 4-7, 9, 11-13].

      1. Group Spiritual Direction [156 pp. + 5 pp.]

    Barton, H. Ruth. Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups. IVP Books/Formatio, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830835669, Pub. Price $20.00 [Intro.-Ch. 8]

      1. Christian Formation [54 pp. assigned]

    Smith, James K.A. ”Introduction: Beyond Perspectives” and “Homo Liturgicus: The Human Person as Lover,” in Desiring the Kingdom. Baker, 2009. ISBN: 978-0801035777, Pub. Price $22.99.

      1. Forgiveness [31 pp.]

    Volf, Miroslav. “How Can We Forgive,” in Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a World Stripped of Grace. Zondervan, 2005. ISBN: 978-0310265740, Pub. Price $15.99.

    1. Bible Reading: Deuteronomy [25 pp.], Matthew [25 pp.].

    ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

    1. Reading and videos as assigned. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. (20%) [65 hours].

    2. Using various methods of reflection, participation, and creation, students will engage in practice-based lessons for each of the 8 Core Practices of the course. (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [32 hours].

    3. Throughout the quarter students will regularly engage in the spiritual discipline of the Examen (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [15 hours].

    4. Students will engage in four fieldwork activities, offering their reflections through a variety of methods. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [16 hours].

    5. Students will offer an autobiography related to Christian community as the theme of the course (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3.] [7 hours].

    6. Signature Assignment: 100-word CIQ response, Integration paper related to course practices, and Rule of Life (2,500 words total) (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [25 hours].

    PREREQUISITES:  None. Recommended in first year of study.

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

    FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


    NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.

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