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 partner with congregations to develop a process that will support the authentic engagement of young people in congregational life.
To develop a worship experience for people who feel excluded from church worship experiences due to their mental health issues and to equip local congregations to receive and minister to them.
To study Scripture and inspire collaborative composition of new music, poetry, art and devotional materials that will center attention on the promise and presence of the Holy Spirit’s work in and among his people.
To explore how worship can reflect the rich diversity of the community through a study of worship space, the Lord’s Supper, liturgy, language and music.
To explore ways to bring cross-cultural music, dance, and written words more regularly into worship through hands-on training that will develop contextualized urban/multicultural intergenerational worship leadership.
To offer a year-long study for the congregation and community with a focus on the Psalms, lamentation and prayer that will foster radical hospitality and intergenerational worship.
To study, create, implement and share innovative worship that engages patients, their families and staff within the hospital and connects with local congregations to expand pastoral care both in and out of the hospital.
To create worship that both reflects and helps form the unique multicultural congregation by recovering authentic indigenous worship materials and creating art, worship environments, music and educational experiences that reflect the worship traditions, theologies, pieties and vocabularies of the community.
To offer a series of workshops on visual arts, drama and improvisational preaching for churches in the conference and provide opportunities for the congregations to report to one another on their experience of worship renewal within their congregations.
To explore the role of arts in worship through a series of workshops and book studies to encourage members of the congregation to become involved in worship planning and implement what has been learned.
To provide training in liturgical practices and music for the multicultural youth choirs of two churches that will encourage youth to take an active role in worship as a way to strengthen their identity within the worshiping community.
To offer workshops for the congregation and neighboring churches to explore music in worship that will cross denominational, cultural, socio-economic and racial divisions.
