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 foster a more participatory, intergenerational, and spiritually formative worshiping community by equipping young adults to shape and lead worship practices.
To promote Christian unity and community engagement with French-speaking immigrants by strengthening multilingual worship practices through the development and training of a worship team.
To more intentionally incorporate youth into the full life of the church by training them in the worship arts of music, singing, liturgical dance, and participatory worship leadership.
To raise up lay worship leaders through a training program that prioritizes character formation and incorporates musical instruction, reflection on bilingual liturgical design, and development of community worship events.
Using cohort-based training and retreats, to cultivate theologically formed worship leaders who are equipped to lead corporate worship in ways that intentionally connect public worship with all-of-life discipleship.
To integrate homiletical training for associate ministers with communal practices of lament and testimony in order to promote a holistic liberatory worship experience that empowers both the pulpit and the pew.
To promote full and equitable participation, deepen practices of praise, and cultivate worship leadership among people with lived experiences of homelessness by establishing a community-led choir and dance ministry.
To encourage intergenerational worship in Chinese churches by empowering seniors to participate in worship leadership and by training leaders to foster inclusion of laypersons representing multiple generations.
To encourage greater lay participation in worship leadership by coaching musicians and equipping congregants to share about their faith journeys in worship.
To equip current and emerging worship leaders for their roles through theological and musical training.
To learn about and practice collaborative worship planning among clergy, musicians, youth, and lay leaders to strengthen leadership and deepen intergenerational engagement.
HyeRan Kim-Cragg and Mona Tokarek LaFosse
To train international graduate students experiencing the trauma of migration and immigration in practices of trauma-informed worship leading so they can implement the practices in their worshiping communities.
