1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2025 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.
Jennifer Schroeder
To equip ministry leaders and parents with tools to create sustainable, inclusive worship practices that value children’s voices in singing, praying, preaching, scripture reading, and communion by exploring their participation with members of ministry leadership teams, both in and outside of children’s ministry.
To provide training in the theology and practice of leading worship in order to help people grow in faith and leadership and find belonging and purpose.
To deepen biblical and theological understanding of preaching and empower emerging leaders by developing a participatory model of sermon creation and presentation that intentionally involves youth worship leaders.
To train young people to preach through formation that encourages biblical understanding, spiritual growth, and community mission and provides opportunities for youth to preach in various contexts.
To equip youth to actively participate in all aspects of the worship experience, including planning and services, by exploring the meaning of worship, different worship styles, and various expressions of worship.
To deepen liturgical formation and engagement among young adult Latinos by involving them in forming, training, and accompanying a dedicated choir to lead sacred music at Iskali retreats and beyond.
To implement a year-long worship discipleship program for youth that uses spoken word, liturgical dance, storytelling, and youth-led worship to equip students to explore faith, express testimony, and lead in worship, promoting spiritual growth and generational engagement within the life of the church.
To foster contemplative spirituality and to cultivate emerging leaders by equipping high school-aged Choral Scholars to lead Evensong services.
To engage in synodal listening processes to help young adults reconnect to Christian worship and faith formation and develop leadership skills, discernment, and confidence in sharing testimonies.
To create a dinner church, led by student leaders who co-create the liturgy and liturgical arts, to be an alternative and collaborative worshiping community for young adults who are weary of traditional church spaces.
Jonathan Calvillo
To examine how hip-hop can be a resource for building spiritual community among Latinx diaspora by modeling how to integrate experiences of race, social engagement, and spiritual support in ministry with youth.
Nelson Cowan
To equip churches to better understand youths’ motivations for participation in worship by conducting a qualitative study of their attitudes toward diverse liturgical forms, their responses to liturgical change, and their participation in public Christian worship.
