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.
Bethel Christian Reformed Church (2023)
To train young worship leaders and strengthen congregational worship through developing an intergenerational mentorship program.
Iglesia Luterana Príncipe de Paz
To create a children’s choir to include children in the church’s worship services and enhance the congregational worship experience.
Iglesia Vida y Esperanza
To develop a program to involve children and adolescents in public worship services and other ministry activities of the church aimed at reaching families with children in the neighborhood.
New Hope Presbyterian Church (2022)
To cultivate a youth worship culture that deepens their experiences of God, promotes a greater sense of belonging, and strengthens relationships among our youth.
The Bridge Church at Bear Creek
To mentor and develop young people in worship leadership by conducting art lessons, providing creative spaces, and fostering collaborative music teams that will facilitate the full participation of young people in leadership in the community.
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School/Sacred Play Cohort
To explore how sacred play in a worship setting engages children in making meaning of their faith, while also discovering creative ways of enhancing worship for both children and congregations.
Vision Familiar
To involve the children’s ministry and the youth ministry in public worship.
National Association of the Church of God (2020)
To use worship arts rituals as a tool to cultivate spiritual transformation in the lives of young people.
Serenity the Prince of Peace Church of God In Christ
To create a consortium of young adults who will be trained and mentored to design and execute a monthly ecumenical, multicultural, and multigenerational worship gathering.
Eastern Christian School Association
To expand students’ imagination and understanding of God and the people of God by implementing diverse worship expressions.
Fisher Street Church of God in Christ International
To deepen young people’s engagement with Scripture, with one another, and with their community by training them to lead worship through dance, music, and mime, using the Psalms as a model.
Lexington Christian Academy
To break down barriers of age, ethnicity, and worship tradition by engaging and theologically reflecting on the arts, theater, and music in worship.