1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
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.
To engage children, youth, young adults, and seniors in planning and leading worship in order to promote intergenerational faith formation, leadership development, and a renewed sense of unity.
To provide training in the theology and practice of leading worship in order to help people grow in faith and leadership and find belonging and purpose.
To unite existing Korean-, English-, and Chinese-speaking Christian communities in worship by training leaders for new multilingual chapel services featuring rotating language leadership and real-time translation.
To encourage thoughtful reflection on current worship practices by gathering a cohort of pastors that will explore a comprehensive, contextualized, and historically rooted philosophy of worship and ministry.
To deepen intergenerational participation in worship by equipping lay leaders, developing resources for leading worship leading, and expanding opportunities for creative expressions in worship.
Peter Jurchen
To strengthen vocational discipleship by researching, designing, and implementing a theologically grounded faculty and staff faith formation framework that aligns professional development with spiritual and liturgical rhythms.
To encourage connection between generations through the development of church-wide devotionals, intergenerational retreats, youth-led worship tech training, and new formats for worship services and community-based gatherings.
To empower lay leaders for the ministry of proclamation and encourage a diversity of voices in the pulpit by developing a lay preacher training program.
To nurture personal and communal faith through workshops and creative events that encourage members of the worshiping community to grow closer to God and to each other.
To develop student worship leaders through education and coaching and to foster opportunities for students to participate in multiple church models, both off campus in local congregations and on campus in student-led services and monthly church feasts.
To promote deeper spiritual formation, unity, and engagement within the worshiping community by providing training for emerging worship leaders, musicians, and preachers.
To equip Filipino American pastors to lead their congregations in lament, pastoral care, and celebration through a learning cohort focused on theologies of worship and communal practices.
