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.
St. Giles Kingsway Presbyterian Church
To create a robust sending rite that empowers and commissions worshipers to engage God’s work in the world in their daily lives.
Warwick United Church of Christ
To fully integrate the arts in the worship life of the church through collaboration among liturgists, musicians, and visual artists, in order to express and embody the attributes of God and the identity of worshipers’ as God’s beloved people.
Brentwood Presbyterian Church
To deepen worshipers’ understanding of the triune God by engaging in and reflecting on the dynamism of jazz music in Christian liturgy.
First Baptist Church of McMinnville (2018)
To learn about inclusive worship in order to craft creative liturgies that allow for the full, conscious, active participation of all members of the community.
Grace Baptist Church
To cultivate an awareness of God’s glory by establishing shared rhythms and spaces to connect daily life and corporate worship.
Indiana Wesleyan University
To expand and strengthen the communal nature of campus worship by exploring the relationship between liturgy and spiritual disciplines and by engaging visual art as a form of intercessory prayer.
Luther College
To create a lectionary for undergraduate academic communities that integrates the academic and liturgical calendars in order to facilitate holistic spiritual formation in campus worship.
Saint Mary's College
To explore the ways the liturgy facilitates hospitality as a Christian liturgical practice in order to be open and welcoming to all people.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
To facilitate formation through worship by implementing new practices from Celtic spirituality that engage the head, heart, and hands of all worshipers.
Christ United Methodist Church
To connect the public worship of churches with worshipers’ personal grief by studying historical and biblical liturgies of lament.
First Christian Church
To equip lay leaders by providing training in giving testimony, proclaiming Scripture, offering public prayer, celebrating communion, and leading robust congregational song.
Freedom Outreach International: Ministry to the Military
To promote healing through worship by connecting three military congregations to engage together with Scripture, song and prayer focused on spiritual wellness.