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 develop a focus each month on topics such as the call to worship, doxology, and the practice of listening that will lead the congregation to understand worship as something that acts upon and forms us to be the community that God calls us to be.
to more deeply live into their mission statement Centered in Christ, Called to the Core City, and committed to being a multicultural community reconciled to each other through Christ
To provide training for worship leaders and congregations for the liturgical seasons of the Christian year through a series of events that will include traditional, contemporary, ecumenical, and global worship resources.
To immerse the congregation in a year-long study of the centrality of the Lord's Supper in worship that will lead to the creation of liturgical art and new sacramental furniture that is a reminder of communion as the center of the life of the church as the congregation moves to a permanent worship space.
To offer training for worship leaders of all ages in theological foundations of worship and musical and artistic abilities with a focus on developing the gifts of youth of several congregations in leading worship.
To engage the congregation in a year-long study of how baptism forms and informs identity to more deeply live into their mission statement "Centered in Christ, Called to the Core City, and committed to being a multicultural community reconciled to each other through Christ."
To engage youth and adults from three congregations to learn about intergenerational, multi-ethnic worship and to integrate what has been learned in Sunday worship.
To explore with young children how artistic response gives language to their understanding of God through mentoring and communication with staff and parents to more deeply engage them in worship in school and in their congregations.
To explore the Psalms with children, youth and families through art, music and memorizing Scripture to shape a posture of hope and give words to express doubts, questions and fears.
To offer a series of intergenerational workshops, book studies and conversations with other churches that will help implement multisensory worship services interwoven with new sermon-based small groups to help the congregation better understand, retain, and apply God's truth to their lives.
To develop assessment and formation tools for worship by engaging in meaningful reflection and collaboration with seven congregations that will create a pattern of continual reflection, assessment, engagement, discussion and practice regarding music for church members and leaders.
To create on-campus initiatives that will connect academic life with campus worship by creating a university-wide theme of prayerfulness and to form a Spiritual Formation cohort of professors to intentionally link campus worship practices with the classroom, introduce spiritual practices in the classroom and explore the relationship between spiritual practice and pedagogy.
