Spring 2020/Pasadena

IS500

O’Donnell

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Michaela O’Donnell.

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, lament, 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 and demonstrate 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 class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion (which includes 8 hours of required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in vocation and formation groups).

REQUIRED READING: 900 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing. Required readings are related to vocation, integrative methods, and the Core Practices of Listening, Lament, Discernment, and Stewardship.

A. Core Texts:

Reyes, Patrick B. Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. Chalice Press. ISBN: 978-0827225312, Pub. Price $19.99 [190 pp.] Available as eBook in the Fuller Library.

Chandler, Diane. J. Christian Spiritual Formation: An Integrated Approach for Personal and Relational Wholeness. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830840427, Pub. Price. $35.00 [100 pages] Available as eBook in the Fuller Library.

Choose one of the following books to read:

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.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015. ISBN: 978-0812993547, Pub. Price $26.00 [176 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

Hill, Daniel. White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830843930, Pub. Price $18.00. [192 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

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 $17.00 [200 pages] Available as an eBook in in the Fuller Library.

Shin, Sarah. Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830845156, Pub. Price $17.00 [204 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Walker-Barnes, Chanequa. Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Buren of Strength. Cascade Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-1620320662, Pub Price $28.00 [200 pp]. Available as an eBook in the Fuller Library.

50 pages of Biblical Text

B. Core Practices (200 pages from the following)

Barton, Ruth Haley. “Discernment: Recognizing and Responding to the Presence of God” in Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. IVP Books, 20016 110-129 [19 pp.] Available on E-Reserves (Discernment)

Barton, Ruth Haley. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry IVP Books, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830846450, Pub Price $22.00 [12 pp.] Available as eBook in the Fuller Library(Listening)

Brueggemann, Walter. “Letting Experience Touch the Psalter” in Praying the Psalms.Saint Mary's

Press, 1986, pp. 15-25. [10 pp.].Available in eReserves.(Lament)

Brueggemann, Walter. “The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity.” in Christian Century 116, no. 10 (1999): 342-47. [5 pp.] (Stewardship)

Gandalfo, Elizabeth. “Mary Kept These Things, Pondering Them in Her Heart: Breastfeeding as Contemplative Practice and Source for Theology” in Spiritus, Volume 13, Number 2. Johns Hopkins University Press: Fall 2013. [13 pages]. Available in eReserves. (Listening)

Hodge, Daniel White. “Violence, Death, and Suffering in Hip Hop Context.” in Hip Hop’s Hostile Gospel: A Post-Soul Theological Exploration, 116-148. Brill, 2017. [32 pp.] available as eBook in the Fuller Library. (Lament)

Rah, Soon Chan. Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times. IVP, 2015. ISBN: 987-0830836949, Pub Price $14.97 [70 pp.] Available in eReserves. (Lament)

Palmer, Parker. Let Your Life Speak. Jossey-Bass, 1999. ISBN: 978-0787947354, Pub. Price $18.95.

[80 pp. assigned]. Available as eBook in the Fuller Library.(Discernment)

Pitt, Richard. “I Heard a Voice from Heaven Say” in Divine Callings: Understanding the Call to Ministry in Black Pentecostalism, [30 pp]. New York: New York University Press, 2012. Available as eBook in the Fuller Library. (Discernment)

Stevens, R. Paul. Aging Matters: Finding Your Calling for the Rest of Your Life. Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing, 2016. ISBN: 978-080287233. (Discernment)

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)

C. Integration Resources

Branson, Mark Lau and Juan Martinez. 2011. “Introduction,” and “Practical Theology and Multicultural Initiatives” in Churches, Cultures & Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities. IVP Academic, 11-55 [44 pp.]. Available as eBook in the Fuller Library.

Bolsinger, Tod. “Formed, Not Found” in Fuller Magazine, Issue 1 [4 pp.]. Available at studio.fuller.edu

Labberton, Mark. Called: The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today. IVP, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830836833, Pub. Price $16.00 [40 pp.] Available as eBook in the Fuller Library.

Sherman, Amy. Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good. Intervarsity Press. 2011

O’Donnell Long, Michaela, Jerome Blanco, and Paul Matsushima. Myths of Vocation, Volumes 1-4. [24 pp.] Available via Canvas.

O’Donnell Long, Michaela, ed. She Is: Biblical Reflections on Women and Vocation [15 pp.] Available via Canvas.

**Students in IS500 are required to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, receive a coaching packet based off of their top 5 strengths, and participate in a 45-minute coaching call with a 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:

800 pages reading including at least 50 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [50 hours].
Classroom 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 classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
Autobiography: Students will create an autobiography related to practices of vocational formation (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [10 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. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [15 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] [2 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. (10%). [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. (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.