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.
Find resources related to the learning from the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program.
To implement a participatory intergenerational worship service in which worshipers engage Scripture through art, music, storytelling, and guided discussion.
To deepen members’ experience of the holiness of God by exploring how various art forms can strengthen liturgical participation.
To expand an understanding of corporate worship as a means of God’s grace and spiritual formation by practicing worship habits using the arts.
To invite people into the biblical story in worship and encourage them to expand their imagination of God by focusing on collaboratively-created art.
To engage in collaborative worship planning and leading that deepens the multicultural expressions of the congregation through visual and musical arts.
To increase worshipers' experience of the beauty of God by training leaders in Byzantine Orthodox Chant and Iconography.
To encourage members to experience the glory and beauty of God as expressed in creation and in creative playful activities that help them experience joy in worship and in the world around them.
To strengthen practices of the sacraments through artistic expressions that will amplify the meaning of the sacraments and strengthen community.
To invite people of all ages and backgrounds into a deeper spirit of contemplation, especially througn outdoor worship that emphasizes the beauty and wonder of God's creation.
To focus on the seasons of the Christian year through worship, study, and art, in order to promote a greater sense of God’s presence in worship and daily life.
To invite people into the biblical story in worship and encourage them to expand their imagination of God through the art they encounter in the worship space.
To empower members of three local congregations to engage in spiritual formation through practicing and sharing artistic works of song, prayer, and Scripture.
