1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2024 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 conduct workshops in biblical storytelling that will provide skills for telling stories in worship and for use in family devotions.
To create a multi-generational collaborative worship design process, to develop an interdisciplinary and multi-generational team to teach the process to pilot congregations, and to host a conference to train church leaders in the collaboration, practice and reflection of this process as an integral part of congregational life.
To develop a process of worship renewal within the congregation by training worship leaders, by deepening the practices of prayer and the reading of Scripture in worship, and by commissioning inner city youth to create art for worship. The project will also offer monthly worship services employing all the senses and actively involving the congregation.
To offer liturgical training in three locations and through Interactive Distance Learning for church leaders who will assist their churches with liturgy planning, minister formation, and workshops on liturgical topics.
To offer worship resources and training to congregations who desire to be supportive faith communities in times of death and dying.
To focus fresh attention on proclaiming God’s forgiveness, offering prayers of confession, and receiving God’s assurance of pardon in corporate worship, through learning opportunities for members of the congregation, pastors and leaders from the community, and to develop worship resources.
To offer creative worship experiences, using theater and the arts, to five to seven congregations, and to teach them how to create artistic expressions of worship that will deepen the worship life of the congregation.
To explore the connection between worship and outreach by developing appropriate worship services that speak to three target groups—children and youth, seniors, and individuals in 12-step programs.
To develop and pilot a hospitable worship model for persons with mid to late stage dementia. Based on their learning, they will prepare a Handbook presenting the concepts and rationale for planning worship experiences and activities for persons with dementia living in a residential unit. The project also includes workshops, training sessions, and a one-day conference for worship leaders.
To offer leadership training for Immanuel and neighboring churches that will include workshops, resources, and worship planning and evaluation experiences for musicians, readers, worship teams, worship planners and dramatists.
To develop meaningful liturgies, rituals and special worship services which connect worship and important life issues faced by older adults. They plan to engage staff and residents of nursing homes, assisted living and independent living communities in discovering new and creative ways to conduct meaningful worship in those settings. They will convene a regional conference to share insights about worship and older adults.
To equip IVCF chapters in worship leadership by offering a worship team curriculum and assisting worship teams in skill development, which will diversify and theologically strengthen the worship expressions of IVCF chapters so they might be a welcoming community for students from many countries.
