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.
Martin Spence
To investigate the history of nationalism in American evangelical worship practices, working with congregational leaders to discern ways to disentangle Christian worship and nationalism.
To use the arts to explore every aspect of worship to invite all people into the presence of the beauty, majesty, mystery, and holiness of the triune God.
To develop long-term habits of spiritual formation through corporate worship in students preparing for cross-cultural service, focusing on the arts and Biblical literacy.
To promote deeper participation in worship by exploring the unique musical contributions of African-American Catholic parishes.
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.
To expand students’ imagination and understanding of God and the people of God by implementing diverse worship expressions.
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.
To practice contemplative forms of worship as a way of engaging people with God in both counter-cultural and culturally contextual ways.
To pursue unity and reconciliation through deepening worshipers’ understanding and practices of Holy Communion.
To foster intergenerational and interracial discipleship by writing daily liturgies together that connect with the weekly liturgies of corporate worship.
To deepen young people’s engagement with Scripture, with one another, and with their community by training them to lead worship through dance, music, and mime, using the Psalms as a model.
To develop intentional worship models for military congregations that remove barriers to those who are experiencing PTSD and to facilitate connection through prayer.
