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 intergenerational, indigenous worship by including the congregation in designing worship services for Advent and Holy Week that include music, visual arts and drama.
To develop intergenerational worship by connecting the seasons of worshipers' lives to the seasons of the Christian year through art, story-telling, music, and education.
To build bridges in the local multicultural community through worship, education, outreach and training initiatives that develop stronger bilingual worship leaders.
To explore storytelling in worship through stories from scripture, congregational history, and the individual lives of disciples of Jesus Christ.
To collaboratively plan multicultural worship services that present newly written biblically inspired psalms and multimedia experiences related to those psalms.
To strengthen the intercessory prayer of the congregation in worship through workshops, congregational dialogues, and individual and communal prayer times.
To articulate a shared theology of worship and understanding of the Lord's Supper in order to enrich worship participation and practices throughout the church year.
To provide workshops, retreats, and intergenerational worship experiences for pastors and worship leaders in order to transform the public worship of their churches.
To equip congregations to welcome persons into a community of faith and prepare them for a lifelong journey of discipleship beginning with baptism through an immersion event and a mentoring program.
To elevate and strengthen the worship experience of young adults through the creative arts of music, dance, mime, and spoken word.
To implement an alternative worship service that includes an innovative and participative liturgy using musical styles from around the world that appeal to all ages.
To explore the meaning of worship by creating engaging community worship experiences that involve the creative gifts and talents of the congregation in art and prayer.
