1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 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 help congregations and individual Christian worshipers grow in their understanding and practice of lament in the context of a diverse, collaborative community by equipping them with resources to weave lament into regular worship services and into a collaborative ecumenical Ash Wednesday service.
To equip current and emerging worship leaders for their roles through theological and musical training.
To promote a healthy, unified, and Christ-centered community that reflects God’s diverse kingdom by developing multicultural worship and discipleship practices.
To train leaders and laypeople in the exposition of scripture and to foster the congregation's participation in the liturgy by forming a mixed-voice choir.
To foster a renewed sense of community, healing, and mission through creative worship and to inspire deeper engagement with Jesus through artistic expression rooted in scripture.
To develop a worship team through music education, spiritual formation, and technological training of committed members and to improve the sound and audiovisual system.
To cultivate a form of worship in which all people feel welcomed, valued, and engaged, with an emphasis on the inclusion and spiritual formation of children and youth.
To nurture the creative and communicative gifts of the clergy by involving them in a poetry and preaching course.
To more deeply experience the healing power of the gospel by developing interactive, arts-infused worship experiences.
To train ministers, elders, and pastors to become impactful and transformational preachers and teachers through a year-long educational cohort.
To deepen congregational fellowship and theological understanding of the Lord’s Supper through intergenerational study, shared meals, artistic expression, and service.
To deepen liturgical formation and engagement among young adult Latinos by involving them in forming, training, and accompanying a dedicated choir to lead sacred music at Iskali retreats and beyond.
