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 strengthen the worship ministry so that each congregational gathering promotes holistic healing in which God’s presence restores hearts and renews lives.
To improve corporate worship by integrating spiritual formation, education, preaching, arts and worship, and evangelism.
To become a more connected faith community that listens and communicates with compassion in worship and in interactions with the community.
To train leaders and laypeople in the exposition of scripture and to foster the congregation's participation in the liturgy by forming a mixed-voice choir.
To foster a renewed sense of community, healing, and mission through creative worship and to inspire deeper engagement with Jesus through artistic expression rooted in scripture.
To develop a worship team through music education, spiritual formation, and technological training of committed members and to improve the sound and audiovisual system.
To cultivate a form of worship in which all people feel welcomed, valued, and engaged, with an emphasis on the inclusion and spiritual formation of children and youth.
To implement a contextualized spiritual formation program integrating personal, family, ecclesial, and community life.
To build a strong, Spirit-led pool of worship leaders—in music, preaching, dance/praise, and intercessory prayer—to strengthen the congregation’s weekly participatory worship.
To broaden the congregation’s understanding of worship and strengthen intergenerational participation by using different artistic expressions in public worship services.
To foster a more active and participatory worship experience among congregants by training them in music and the arts.
To revitalize and transform the congregation’s spiritual life by redesigning public worship services and integrating visual arts, technology, relevant worship practices, and contextualized preaching.
