Current and Past Grants

Since 2000, Vital Worship grants have been awarded to worshiping communities and teacher-scholars in 45+ states and provinces and in 40+ denominations across the spectrum of Christian traditions, including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Non-Denominational communities. While worship practices across these traditions vary widely, grant projects typically explore one or more of the ten core convictions  related to worship that emerged out of the first decade of this grantmaking.

Search results 11 - 20 of 982

Eden Theological Seminary

St. Louis, Missouri | 2021

Project Director: Paul Vasile

In response to the challenges of the pandemic, to use the Psalms to explore lament, grief, and resilience by engaging in liturgical arts that tell worshipers' stories, name challenges and losses, and cultivate healing and hope.

First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn

Brooklyn, New York | 2021

Project Director: Christopher Neuner

To develop best practices for engaging and uniting online and in-person worshipers in formative and participative worship.

Fort Washington Collegiate Church

New York, New York | 2021

Project Director: Mx. James Admans

To emulate Jesus’ love and concern by renewing worship in light of the gifts, needs and justice concerns of the transgender community and queer communities of color.

Fuller Seminary/Brehm Center, Maria Eugenia Fee

Pasadena, California | 2021

To establish and facilitate a series of arts-based leadership development workshops for pastors and church leaders in order to introduce them to the formational value of the arts in worship and invigorate arts-based worship practices in their faith communities.

Goshen College, John D. Roth

Goshen, Indiana | 2021

To foster ecumenical conversations about baptism by hosting seminars for pastors and lay leaders using a newly created accessible study guide on the recent groundbreaking report of the international Lutheran-Mennonite-Roman Catholic Trilateral Dialogue on Baptism. 

Hope College Campus Ministries

Holland, Michigan | 2021

Project Director: Trygve Johnson

To engage in a liturgical and theological exploration of the biblical language and metaphor of friendship as a resource for the spiritual growth of the college community and for exploring issues of worship and justice.

Hope College, Lindsey Hanson

Holland, Michigan | 2021

To investigate emerging theological issues in worship with scholars and practitioners by reflecting on a cross-disciplinary collaboration of dance, architectural design, and film within a worship space, and empowering local ministry leaders and churches to discern theologically and imagine liturgically the characteristics of Christian worship in their own context by engaging curated online media.  

Knox College, Sarah Travis

Toronto, Ontario | 2021

To create and field-test a preaching and liturgical resource addressing reconciliation among Settler Canadians and Indigenous peoples for the Presbyterian Church in Canada, based on two Calls to Action from the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Lee University, Christopher A. Stephenson

Cleveland, Tennessee | 2021

To develop a pneumatological perspective on baptism and the Lord's Supper that nurtures vibrant experiences of the Holy Spirit within traditional liturgical forms and practices, and to encourage substantial Pentecostal contributions to ecumenical dialogue on the sacraments.

Lyons Evangelical Church

Caldwell, Texas | 2021

Project Director: Rev. Dr. Andrew Keuer

To enrich support and care for the bereaved by developing liturgical practices that sustain the faith of grief-stricken worshipers while remaining vibrant and inclusive of the whole church community.