Vocational Formation | Abilene Christian University Online

for ACU Online Students

At ACU, we believe the work we do matters. It matters to the world. It matters to God. God longs for the world to be a place of human flourishing – a place of wholeness, peace, joy, rest, and hope. Whether you are a teacher, therapist, business person, non-profit leader, healthcare professional or find your work in another profession, your work is not disconnected from the life of God, but the very place that God longs for you, your colleagues, your clients, and your community to experience human flourishing.

HOW ACU HELPS WITH VOCATIONAL FORMATION

Vocational formation is all about finding your life’s calling, learning how God is shaping you into the person you were born to be. You likely have a career goal or the spark of an idea of what you’d like to do professionally. Vocational formation takes this a step further by helping you understand your deeper desire to serve others, no matter what the job title or duties entail.

In addition to offering innovative and industry-leading undergraduate and graduate degrees, ACU Online is committed to the vocational formation of every student helping them understand and experience their work as meaningful, life-giving, and significant.

This includes:

Curriculum that focuses on the formation of students’ vocational identity
Co-curricular opportunities that deepen students’ capacity to experience meaningful work
Faculty and staff committed and willing to help students understand and experience the many ways that their work contributes to the common good.

Vocatio Talks

Dr. Ries began offering a webinar series called Vocatio Talks in March 2017. These online meetings allow students to gather for lively conversations about what it means to find your authentic self. The webinars offer plenty of time for audience questions, and the webinars are recorded and posted online for later viewing.

What is Vocational Formation?

We believe the work you do matters, and that this world is a better place because of it. One of the things we want to help you do in your time at ACU is nurture practices and postures that help you continually attend to your own life, the world around you, and the ways that your work matters. We call this work “vocational formation.”

Throughout your educational experience with us you will have opportunity to participate in webinars that explore further how we might experience our work in more meaningful ways. You’ll have opportunity to engage in resources that might serve as an encouragement or inspire you to pursue longings or passions that you hold deep inside. You’ll be invited during the off-weeks between terms -when you don’t have any school work – to truly rest, be still, and hopefully find the renewal you need to jump back into the next term. We want to provide multiple opportunities, through different kinds of mediums to do what we think is really important work, that is, attend to your own vocational identity. To discover or re-discover the ways in which your work brings joy, hope, and possibility into your life.

ACU Online News

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Ben Ries

“To be formed vocationally and live in our vocational identity is primarily a task of learning how to pay better attention,” said Dr. Ben Ries, associate dean for vocational formation at ACU Online. Vocational formation is about paying attention—but sometimes it seems like the entire world is conspiring to distract and prevent anybody from paying … Continued

Vocational Formation at ACU: Finding Your Purpose and Passion

“Vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” That quote from theologian and writer Frederick Buechner rings true of what a Christian education can help you find. At ACU, you can discover and develop your calling through vocational formation. What is Vocational Formation? Vocational formation is all about finding your … Continued

Defining Meaningful Work: What Does it Mean and How is it Valuable?

Over the course of your lifetime, you will spend an average of 90,000 hours at your job. In other words, the work you do will have a sizable impact on your quality of life. People who are passionate about their work will find that these tens of thousands of hours are well spent and contribute … Continued