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.
Dominican House of Studies/Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception
Andrew Hofer, O.P.
Andrew Hofer, O.P.
To study seven early Christian preachers who model various aspects of "incarnational" preaching and produce a resource encouraging preachers to integrate public speech with all of life.
Emory University
Susan E. Hylen
Susan E. Hylen
To study the history of women's participation in church life in the early church with pastors and church leaders, discerning how historical claims do (and should) function in contemporary discussions.
Fuller Theological Seminary
Ed Willmington
Ed Willmington
To research six vocational competencies of well-formed worship leaders and develop a variety of resources to share insights related to the formation of worship leaders.
Lee University
Lisa Milligan Long
Lisa Milligan Long
To survey worshipers' understanding of the effect of participation in the Lord's Supper, and to offer methods to leaders in a variety of denominational settings for deepening Eucharistic participation.
Pennsylvania State University
AnneMarie Mingo
AnneMarie Mingo
To involve women of color in the development of models and resources for connecting worship and public social witness.
Trinity Christian College
Kyle Dieleman
Kyle Dieleman
To study the relationship between Sabbath observance and spiritual formation, offering historical insights and exploring contemporary adaptations.
Union Presbyterian Seminary
Paul Galbreath
Paul Galbreath
To develop liturgical resources for congregational use that link Christian discipleship and earth care, grounding environmental advocacy in corporate worship practices.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Robert Pendergraft
Robert Pendergraft
To curate a sourcebook of materials for use in the local church with the specific aim of strengthening intergenerational participation in worship.
Vanderbilt University
Erik Carter
Erik Carter
To explore essential dimensions of accessible worship and identify promising pathways for renewing worship practices which welcome the full participation of people across the spectrum of ability and disability.
Western Theological Seminary
Travis West
Travis West
To encourage deeper engagement with scripture in worship and congregational life by developing a curriculum for teaching Hebrew language and culture in the local church.