1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 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.
To cultivate a common worship language and shared understanding of worship that facilitates a sense of community across generation and technology, and to use that language to connect worship with all of life.
To explore the parables of Jesus in the Gullah translation of the Bible using four art forms, in order to enhance the discipleship, prayer and worship of four congregations.
To pilgrimage together through the Christian Year as spiritual formation in order to more deeply experience Christ, the church, spiritual practices, and the community.
To create and implement worship services designed to restore the self-worth of worshipers who have suffered moral injury and to provide spiritual renewal and hope to them and their families.
To strengthen practices of congregational song by introducing a globally diverse diet of hymns and other congregational songs and by strengthening understanding of the contexts in which songs were created.
To foster integration between worship and science by connecting worship practices with the mission to serve, protect and restore God's earth.
To facilitate intergenerational worship by gathering mothers to collaboratively create worship practices for use in both corporate worship and in the home.
To nourish Christian unity and interpersonal connection within a prison by initiating and reflecting on a weekly practice of the eucharist.
To reimagine worship as an act of justice by decolonizing the congregation's worship practices to ensure that each is engaged in a culturally appropriate way.
To provide space and practices for congregants and visual artists to deepen their understanding and engagement of lament.
To integrate new communal practices into worship in order to more deeply connect worshipers to the body of Christ and to welcome others into such a community.
To facilitate the full participation of worshipers from all faith backgrounds by enhancing both the physical space for worship and the forms of music and visual arts in the liturgy.
