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On the campus of Calvin University
© 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Worship and fellowship are sometimes difficult for people with mental illness because few people understand their experience and their needs in worship.
2018 Calvin Symposium on Worship | Vesper
Considering the “Joseph question” and the “Jonah question” can help congregations overcome fear of talking about race, culture, and how God might be calling them to change
In this workshop led by Jan Kraybill, we looked at and sang some great hymns and songs, and we discussed how best to help our worshiping communities sing poetry with appreciation, enthusiasm, and artistry.
New and ancient patterns in Christ’s Spirit are available to worship leaders, this workshop explores how to find life and vitality in our diverse contexts and through our varied personalities.
Some churches think of beauty - apart from nature - as superficial, or a distraction from how God calls us to live. Cameron Anderson makes a case for how beauty and visual arts can help us encounter God more deeply.
2018Calvin Symposium on Worship | Service
This session featured insights from a variety of people who love to teach in ways that help people in ordinary congregations learn about worship, the arts, inclusion, and, ultimately, Jesus himself.
To worship in line with the Lord’s Prayer—on earth as it is in heaven—requires making room in worship for stories, songs, and gifts from many cultures. Doing so depends in part on how churches form their views about refugees and immigrants.
Seeing violence and racism up close is ugly. Two Presbyterians discuss how to help congregations prepare for and respond to divisive events.
Churches often shy away from conversations about white supremacy or which lives matter. A Presbyterian elder and a worship leader explain how to pastorally move toward effective reconciliation ministry.
All over the world, Christian churches are struggling to obey the Bible’s clear commands to welcome the stranger, to displace the fear that leads to exclusion, and to both extend and receive mutual hospitality as gifts of God’s Spirit.
