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 host several one-day seminars for the congregation and the ecumenical community of Boston and Cambridge. Seminar topics include: The Theology of Worship, Exploring Theological Ideas in the Songs of Our Faith, and Reaching a Multi-Cultural Community through Worship.
To offer four workshops for pastors, musicians and church leaders on music and preaching, with special emphasis on the Christian Year and Revised Common Lectionary. By enriching worship leaders’ understanding of worship and their skills in worship leadership, the congregation will better understand the role of scripture and music in worship.
To offer summer courses in liturgy and catechesis, a fall liturgy conference, and monthly campus Ministry Training days. These programs will encourage worship renewal on the college campus and in Catholic high schools and parishes throughout the area.
To create an urban school of worship for teenagers, which will develop individual worship leaders and musicians and forge them into teams to lead worship for teen peers on Friday nights, for smaller children on Saturday and for supporting churches on Sunday.
To bring together church leaders in northern New York of various denominations and traditions to explore the Biblical foundations and expressions of corporate worship, and then to discuss what has been learned and share what each church has put into practice.
To undertake a year long process focusing congregational life on renewal of authentic, meaningful worship which is pleasing to God, biblically based, and welcoming to all. The project will include worship services, classes and an ecumenical worship renewal conference.
To offer the Emerging Worship event, a gathering of pastors, seminary professors and lay leaders to concentrate on ways the church can engage the changing culture without compromising the integrity of the Reformed tradition. They also plan to develop useful tools for worship, and to encourage a network of church leaders to more effectively nurture vital worship in congregations through shared resources and critical reflection in study groups.
To train parish liturgical leaders to function competently in their own communities, especially in locations that are served by non-resident clergy.
To renew worship by focusing on the Lord’s Supper through observing Eucharistic practices in a variety of contexts, exploring the Lord’s Supper though a workshop for the congregation, and developing worship practices, visuals or drama appropriate to making the Lord’s Supper more meaningful.
To develop four two-day gatherings for in-depth, hands-on training in worship leadership for adults and youth in smaller urban churches.
To conduct a seminar to address the need for clergy, choirs and congregations to better understand the Psalms and how the Psalms deepen the prayer life of congregations and nurture their faith.
To study the worship practices of the members of the congregation who are of European-American, African-American, and Hispanic backgrounds through a church-wide forum and focus groups, and to develop materials and education classes to continue discussion and incorporate new practices into worship.
