Current and Past Grants

CICW has awarded Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for over 20 years to teacher-scholars and worshiping communities in 45+ states and provinces and across 40+ denominations and traditions—including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, non-denominational, and other Protestant communities.

While worship styles and practices vary greatly across these traditions, the grant projects typically explore at least one of CICW’s ten core convictions related to worship. Explore the hundreds of projects we’ve funded across both streams of the program.

Search results 1 - 10 of 118

Abilene Christian University, Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby

Abilene, Texas | 2024

To explore the efficacy of preaching through the lens of affect theory to help preachers think carefully about the extralinguistic properties of proclamation and the ethical questions of the power of preaching.

Abilene Christian University, Brad East

Abilene, Texas | 2024

To deepen Christian discernment about the impact of digital technology on Christian worship through the study of both challenges and opportunities presented to churches, pastoral ministry, and public worship by new digital mediums.

Abilene Christian University, Myles Werntz

Abilene, Texas | 2024

To help worshiping communities learn about the moral life by connecting categories of moral reasoning to the ongoing practice of worship and discipleship as described in Psalm 23.

Baylor University Chapel

Waco, Texas | 2024

To integrate psalms into corporate and private worship habits in an ecumenical setting, primarily through guided conversations and scholarly-artistic engagement with university students and local pastors.

Baylor University, Melody Escobar

Waco, Texas | 2024

To explore worship practices that foster belonging among marginalized populations through an ethnographic study of an interdenominational church that worships under a highway overpass.

Bethel Univeristy, Becki Graves

Mishawaka, Indiana | 2024

To celebrate the diversity of Christianity through exploring the contemplative, Holiness, Evangelical, social justice, charismatic, and incarnational expressions of the Church as part of the process of creating original artistic, poetic, and musical stations of the cross to share in local churches.

Boston University School of Theology, Shively Smith, 2024

Boston, Massachusetts | 2024

To showcase and provide access to the scriptural interpretations of nineteenth-century African American women by curating a web-based lectionary resource.

Calvin University, Daniel Jesse

Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2024

To investigate how the lyrics and melodies of contemporary Christian music influence the way worshipers perceive and articulate their feelings in relation to their faith, with a particular focus on the way sadness is expressed in worship.

Calvin University, Debra Rienstra

Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2024

To provide inspirational and practical examples of how churches and individual Christians can address the climate crisis in podcast interviews of Christian communities who have adapted their mission and practices toward a more just and sustainable world.

Campbell University

Buies Creek, North Carolina | 2024

To engage in spiritual practices of liturgical writing, reflection, prayer, and art to collaboratively create a community prayer book that will facilitate the spiritual growth and well-being of the community through both personal and communal use.