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.
Alamance Presbyterian Church
To cultivate wonder and gratitude for God and creation, to deeply engage lay people in scriptural interpretation, and to empower new leaders within the church by learning and contemplating worship and growing in creative expressions of worship.
Allisonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
To develop more inclusive worship practices by first learning about the needs and desires ofthose often excluded from worship and the obstacles they often face, and to then initiate new worship practices.
Cooperative Christian Ministry in Higher Education, Inc.
To develop skilled, confident, and energetic student worship leaders through a comprehensive worship leadership development initiative.
Disability Belongs
To increase disability awareness and belonging in partner churches by providing resources and strategies for promoting the welcome and inclusion of Christians of all abilities in worshiping communities.
Faith Mennonite Church
To equip lay leaders by hosting workshops that broaden understanding of what preaching can be in an intergenerational and hybrid worship context in order to expand leaders’ repertoire of meaningful ways of engaging with scripture to facilitate spiritual growth.
First Spanish United Presbyterian Church
To foster spiritual and theological depth in worship leaders of all ages through educational opportunities and celebrating the gifts participants are developing.
Fuller Seminary, Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry
To deepen the capacity of Asian American pastors for worship and congregational leadership in their cultural contexts by offering a nine-month learning cohort for pastors.
Fuller Theological Seminary: Division of Formation
To equip leaders to create a pilgrimage experience in their own context by together engaging the embodied experience of pilgrimage and developing worship resources for their communities out of that experience.
General Education Department of the United Holy Church of America, Inc.
To enrich the theological understanding of worship in the United Holy Church of America and encourage African American worship leaders by hosting monthly virtual workshops and an in-person conference.
Innovative Literacy Solutions
To train children and youth in understanding of worship and in worship skills, including media technology and leading music, to equip them to lead worship at Lighthouse Full Life Center.
Lakeside Christian Church
To equip congregants of all ages to participate in worship leadership by providing theological and practical training as well as resources for personal and family worship.
Mars Hill Bible Church
To nurture the church’s preaching team, including active and potential preachers, through workshops, conferences, and team practices that nurture the preaching life.