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 provide experiences and guidance through lectionary-based activities enabling participants of all ages and abilities to discover their own gifts and employ them in worship services within an urban community.
To investigate and implement ways in which participation in formal worship can be made increasingly accessible to children and youth.
To study the biblical foundations as well as theological, historical and practical perspectives of the inclusion of a variety of forms of dance and movement in worship, with the intention of incorporating dance appropriately into worship services in a primarily college-age congregation.
To explore resource materials and design a process for using and sharing them that will engage all ages in understanding parts of a worship service and in integrating their renewed appreciation of worship into congregational life.
To train and encourage parish musicians in small congregations by offering classes in the theological and liturgical foundations of worship and the development of musical skills.
To explore forms of art and ways to incorporate that art in the ongoing worship life of local congregations through a two-week institute on the arts in worship for clergy, laity, and seminarians and to develop a resource guide for local congregations.
To explore how particular aspects of liturgy and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper connect with seasons of the church year through a series of worship services that condenses the entire church calendar into an eight week series with the Lord’s Supper celebrated each week to emphasize the various themes with special attention given to the involvement of children through leadership, visual arts, and dance.
To conduct teaching sessions for clergy and laity centered on the topics of preparation, observance of the Lord’s Day, prayer, praise, proclamation, obedience, offerings, service, congregational participation, holiness of life, significance of preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments.
To teach people how to incorporate moments of adoration, confession, intercession, and listening into daily life through worship services that explore both Jesus’ words and examples of each habit and the words and emotions of each habit in the Psalms. Additionally, an intergenerational weekend retreat will be offered where small groups will develop scripture, a hands-on experience and a take-home card to emphasize the practice of the habit.
To offer workshops in North Carolina and Texas to address processes and principles of developing and leading multisensory worship.
To explore how God is drawing peoples from all nations to become biblical, wholehearted worshipers through the study and development of indigenous expressions of music and the arts.
To create a small group curriculum that includes Friday evening services to introduce urban teens to life in Christ and give them a set of daily practices that build their relationships with Christ.
