Courses

In Psalm 86:11 (NIV), the psalmist asks the Lord for an “undivided heart.” Many of us, however, have more experience with a fragmented and disintegrated heart than with an undivided one. We believe that we should engage in the activities of a life of faith, that we should do good work, and that we should be authentic in our worship. We think we know what a life of faith is supposed to look like, whether we live up to that or not. We all work, whether that work is valued by others or not, whether we value it ourselves or not, whether we are remunerated or not, and whether we think we are fulfilling a calling or vocation or not. We know that we are to worship God, although opinions abound as to what that means or how it should look and sound. As reflective believers, we might admit that our own lives—and the lives of those that we work with or minister to, lead, or educate—are fragmented and disintegrated, not “undivided.” What would it look like to be wholehearted and thoroughly integrated believers? This course will provide the opportunity to investigate and evaluate the three core areas of faith, work, and worship, to address challenges and opportunities for meaningful integration in our lives, and to explore how we might live and minister from a place of wholeness and wholeheartedness.

Knowing

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• analyze how your experience and understanding of the life of faith, a theology of work, and an approach to worship has shaped the way you have done ministry in the past and how it contrasts with other approaches that we will explore
• examine the effectiveness of the inter-relationships between faith, work, and worship in life and ministry and understand how they might be better integrated or reshaped.

Being

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• reflect thoughtfully on how faith, work, and worship have shaped who you are; and
• risk having a more integrated engagement in faith, work, and worship and see its potential to re-shape or revitalize who you are within the context of calling and ministry.

Doing

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• solve some problems of inconsistency and fragmentation/disintegration in your own life and ministry or for those within your circle of influence;
• design a more integrated approach to meaningful life and ministry that comprises these three areas; and
• implement an approach to faith, work, and worship that will increase your own wisdom and insight and will provide you with an effective model for others.