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 train leaders in teaching techniques and motivational activities for the enlivening of singing in congregations that will help transform worshipers into effective disciples.
To empower members of three local congregations to engage in spiritual formation through practicing and sharing artistic works of song, prayer, and Scripture.
To renew a Spanish worshiping community through communal practices of worship connected to art, dance, hospitality, and service.
To strengthen corporate worship with theological reflection, innovative and embodied worship elements, creative arts, and the unique gifts of the congregation.
To engage worshipers in a year of walking with Jesus by multisensory worship through the seasons of the church year and connections with worshipers' daily lives.
To develop intergenerational, indigenous worship by including the congregation in designing worship services for Advent and Holy Week that include music, visual arts and drama.
To build bridges in the local multicultural community through worship, education, outreach and training initiatives that develop stronger bilingual worship leaders.
To collaboratively plan multicultural worship services that present newly written biblically inspired psalms and multimedia experiences related to those psalms.
To elevate and strengthen the worship experience of young adults through the creative arts of music, dance, mime, and spoken word.
To implement an alternative worship service that includes an innovative and participative liturgy using musical styles from around the world that appeal to all ages.
To explore the meaning of worship by creating engaging community worship experiences that involve the creative gifts and talents of the congregation in art and prayer.
To implement a study of the theology of worship that includes Scripture, Psalms, prayer and communion, and to apply this learning to planning worship events.
