Theology of Work & Personal Calling in the STEM Professions

1. Theology of Work & Personal Calling in the STEM Professions Andrew Sears President City Vision

2. Goals of this Course (Cheat Sheet) • Understand a Theology of Work and communicate how that applies toward their own life and calling. • Utilize tools to be able to identify, reflect on and articulate what their calling or vocation might be and how it might be leveraged for God. • Understand and be able to articulate their unique identity as a technologist/innovator and the unique role played by technologists/innovators in the Body of Christ and how to communicate that through their personal brand and life strategy. • Understand the unique issues facing Christians in technological and innovative fields and how to manage their career in the current marketplace. • Create a synthesis of the above understandings into a reflective life plan that shows a mature reflection and vision of your life calling as well as a plan to grow and achieve that vision.

3. Outline of Course • Weeks 1-3: Theology of Work • Weeks 4-5: Tools for Identity and Calling • Week 6: Calling in the New Economy • Week 7: Case Studies of Christians in Technology • Week 8: Submit Final Project

4. Final Project • 30-35 Pages (64% of grade) • Work on it each week • Summary: Demonstrate achievement of course objectives • Apply Theology of Work to yourself • Reflection: Your Story as it Applies to your Calling • Tools on Identity & Calling • Startup Of You Personal Business Plan

5. Human, Christian & Personal Vocation

6. - Frederick Buechner

7. Four Questions of Personal Vocation Status • Status without Meaning • Empty success • Corporate drone Will the world pay? What are you good at? Calling External Motivation(world’s deep hunger) Internal Motivation (deep gladness) • Internal • Underemployed • Starving artist • External Motivation • Burnout • Joyless worker What do you enjoy? Does the world need? Meaning • Meaning without Status • Financially unsustainable • Starving volunteer

8. Dimensions of Christian Vocation From The Other Six Days. R. Paul Stevens

9. What’s Unique about Calling of Tech Christians?

10. Weaknesses of STEM Christians • Analysis paralysis • Lower emotional IQ/out of touch w/emotions • Perfectionism • Lack of communication/interpersonal • Public speaking/shyness • Isolated (personally, society) • Risk adverse • Distant from end use/Unknown whether you are helping others/One part of many • Arrogance of rationality • Out of touch with pop culture • Strengths of STEM Christians • Problem solvers • Logic and analysis, Rational/methodical • Marketable: in demand • Improvise creatively • High income/ financially stable • Well educated • Objective/data driven • Meritocracy • Innovation/Efficiency • Collaborative Open • High leverage • Threats/Challenges to STEM Christians • Faith in rationality/logic/numbers • Attacked for faith • Legalism • Working for wealth • Limited work in STEM for direct ministry • Isolation: from gadgets • Addiction to gadgets • Loneliness • More frequent Crisis of faith • Instant gratification/impatience • Opportunities for STEM Christians • Tent Makers • Natural missionaries to STEM fields • People leadership in tech field • Create stuff that helps those in need • Magnify reach of other Christians

11. Size and Scope of Christians in Technology • 50-100 million Christians in STEM jobs • 6.3 million Christians in STEM jobs (71% in computing) • 77,500 full-time IT staff • $12.5 Billion IT Budget

12. Jesus Justice Sector Jesus Tech Sector Vision: Use Technology to Recruit & Educate Christians to Serve the Poor Tech Christian Colleges AccessED, ACU, Calvin, Taylor, Baylor Biola, Olivet, Fuller, Wheaton, Liberty Christian Funders Foundations, Individuals Christian Higher Ed for Justice Bakke U, UCC, Eastern, Fuller Azuza, Acton, NetInstitute, Christian ABE Christian Technologists Christians Engineering Society, Intervarsity Faculty, Cru Faculty ISCAST, Code for the Kingdom Christians in Tech (FB & LinkedIn) Tech & Missions ICCM, Lightsys, MAF, GEM, EMI, WIN, OB VisionSynergy, AIBI Wycliffe IT, CheckItOut Christian Social Sector AGRM, CCDA, Salvation Army, Teen Challenge, UYWI, World Vision Christian Higher Ed In Developing Countries Church Tech & IT LifeChurch, Menlo Park Saddleback, Willow Creek City Vision College ChristianVolunteering City Vision Internships Churches of the Poor Tech & Ministry Internet Evangelism Day, Mobile Ministry Forum, YouVersion, ABS, Cru Jesus MSTSM Program Christian Recovery NACR, Celebrate Recovery Justice Tech Christian Recruiting MeetTheNeed, ChristianJobs ShortTermMissions, Missions Parachurch IT Cru, Intervarsity Open Source Drupal, Moodle Christian Media Christianity Today, Publishers, Radio & TV Urban Internships Mission Year Open Education Straighterline.com, MOOCs, EdX Coursera, Udacity Nonprofit Recruiting AllforGood, Idealist VolunteerMatch, Guidestar, FB Causes Low Cost Online Training Lynda.com, Skillshare, Pluralsight Tech Philanthropy Google Grants, LinkedIn Facebook, Salesforce, Microsoft Job Boards Internships.com Simply Hired Open Data/Content Wikipedia, Open Gov’t, Semantic Web Secular Funders Foundations, Individuals,Government, Corporations Tech-Justice Sector

13. Technology and Ministry Resources • Online & Digital Ministry & Evangelism • Mobile Ministry Forum • Azuza’s Connected Summits • Biola Digital Conference • Christian Media Ecology • Gordon’s The Promise and Challenge of Technology Conference • Seattle Pacific’s Digital Society Conference • Baylor’s Technology and Human Flourishing Conference • Technology & Missions • International Conference on Computing and Mission • Christian Tech Volunteering • ChristianVolunteering.org • Lightsys • Education and Computer Centers • Greater Europe Mission, SIM International, Missionary Aviation Fellowship • Engineering • Engineering Ministries International