Spring 2019/Fuller Online

IS500

Maros

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Susan L. Maros.

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.

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 with a total of 160 hours of coursework. 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: Approximately 850 pp. of required reading.

A. Core Texts

Placher, William C. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802829276, Pub. Price $32.00 [100 pp. assigned].

Reyes, Patrick B.Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. Chalice Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0827225312, Pub. Price $19.99 Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [192 pp.]

Choice Book - pick one of the following

Brown, Austin Channing. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018. ISBN: 978-1524760854, Pub. Price $25.00 [192 pp.]

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015. ISBN: 978-0812993547, Pub. Price $24.00 [176 pp.]

Crespo, Orlando. Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethic Identity. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830823741, Pub. Price $16.00 [167 pp.]

Hill, Daniel. White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830843930, Pub. Price $16.00. [192 pp.]

Irving, Debby.Waking up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race. Elephant Room Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0991331307, Pub. Price $19.99 [288 pp.]

Jeung, Russell. At Home In Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors. Zondervan, 2016. ISBN: 978-0310527831, Pub. Price $17.99 [224 pp.]

Khang, Kathy. Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. InterVarsity Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-0830845408, Pub. Price $16.00 [176 pp.]

Shin, Sarah. Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830845156, Pub. Price $16.00 [204 pp.]

Walker-Barnes, Chanequa.Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength. Cascade Books, 2014. 978-1620320662, Pub. Price $28.00 [232 pp.]

B. Core Practices (available on e-reserves)

Barton, Ruth Haley. “Discernment: Recognizing and Responding to the Presence of God” in Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. IVP Books, 2006. 110-129. [19 pp.] discernment

Brueggemann, Walter. “Letting Experience Touch the Psalter” in Praying the Psalms.Saint Mary's Press, 1986, pp. 15-25. [10 pp.]. lament

Brueggemann, Walter. "The liturgy of abundance, the myth of scarcity." Christian Century 116, no. 10 (1999): 342-47. [5 pp.] stewardship

Foster, Richard. “Guidance” in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. HarperSanFrancisco, 1988. pp. 175-189. [14 pp.] guidance

Greene-McCreight, Kathryn. “Darkness” in Darkness is My Only Companion, 19-35. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2015. [17 pp.] lament

Peace, Richard. “The Still Small Voice.” In Noticing God, 51-68. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012. [18 pp.] guidance

Phillips, Susan S. “Listening as a Way of Receiving Cultivation.” In The Cultivated Life: From Ceaseless Striving to Receiving Joy, 61-74. InterVarsity Press, 2015. [13 pp.] listening

Phillips, Susan S. “Stopping.” In The Cultivated Life: From Ceaseless Striving to Receiving Joy, 75-89. InterVarsity Press, 2015. [14 pp.] rhythms of rest

Rah, Soong-Chan. “Epilogue: Ferguson.” Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times, 204-212. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015. [9 pp]. lament

Riswold, Caryn D. “Vocational Discernment.” In At This Time and In This Place: Vocation and Higher Education, edited by David Cunningham, 72-98. Oxford University Press, 2015. [26 pp.] discernment

Scazzero, Peter. “Slow Down for Loving Union” in The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World, 115-142. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015. [29 pp.] rhythms of rest

Volf, Miroslav. “God the Giver" in Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, 19-54. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. [35 pp].stewardship

Wimberly, Anne-Streaty. “Called to Listen: The Imperative Vocation of Listening in Twenty First Century Faith Communities.” International Review of Mission 87, no. 346, (1998): 331-341. [11 pp.] listening

C. Integration Resources

Articles & Chapters (on e-reserves):

Bolsinger, Tod. “Formed, Not Found” Fuller Magazine, Issue 1[4 pp.]

Branson, Mark Lau and Juan F. Martinez.“Introduction.” In Churches, Cultures & Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities, edited by Mark Lau Branson and Juan F. Martinez, 11-30. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. [19 pp.]

Johnson, Jan.“The Intentional, Unhurried Life.” In Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace, 103-117. InterVarsity Press, 2011. [14 pp.]

Pitt, Richard.“I Heard a Voice from Heaven Say” in Divine Callings: Understanding the Call to Ministry in Black Pentecostalism, 41-71. New York: New York University Press, 2012. [30 pp.]

Reese, Randy and Robert Loane.“A Storied Way: What We Learn from Editing Our Lives” in Deep Mentoring, 49-74. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2012. [25 pp.]

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. “The Complexity of Identity” in Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race, 18-28. Basic Books, 1997. [10pp.]

Tiersma Watson, Jude.“Learning the Unforced Rhythms of Grace: Creating a Rule of Life in a 24/7 World.” Fuller Youth Institute, February 26, 2014. Accessed September 1, 2017. https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/articles/learning-the-un- forced-rhythms-of-grace.

Biblical texts assigned [50 pages].

D. 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:

850 pages reading including at least 50 pages of biblical text and video lectures [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [60 hours].
Online Discussion 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]. [20 hours].
Social Location and Vocation: Students will engage in reading, exercises, and fieldwork activities focused on considering their social location and its impact on vocation formation. This assignment culminates with writing a vocational autobiography (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3]. [20 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. These exercises will include (but not limited to) Clifton Strengths Assessment & CoreClarity coaching call and the creation of a financial plan that supports vocational goals (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [20 hours].
Integrative Reflections: Students will engage in critical theological reflection on contextualized experiences using a practical theology method. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3.] [20 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. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [20 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.