Apply for the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program to support and enhance Christian worship practices. We encourage proposals on universal design, cultural engagement, preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and more. Two grant streams are available.
Join us for our Symposium on Worship and Summer Seminars. Engage in inspiring sessions, workshops, and intensive seminars to deepen your understanding and practice of Christian worship.
Psalmody in Color: Celebrating the Sacred Music of Black Voices
Anchored by an evening concert of psalm-based works, the Psalmody in Color festival includes a day of educational programming that engages scholars, musicians, clergy, and community members in dialogue about the role of psalmody in Black musical expression. Participants will encounter the psalms as a living and evolving art form rooted in scripture, shaped by history, and brought to life through the artistry of Black composers.
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin University advances Christian worship through resources, events, and grants. Since 1997, we have partnered with congregations and organizations to fulfill our mission.
Opportunities and Challenges for Pastoral Ministry in 2023
Published on
April 12, 2023
Video length
3 mins
Seven pastoral leaders—pastors, reconcilers, preachers, and scholars—offer insights from their unique contexts on the greatest opportunities and challenges for ministry work now.
Pastor Szabina Sztojka describes the ethnic conflict in Hungary, especially against the Roma people, and reflects on how Reformed church leaders and congregations face both opportunities and challenges in inclusion and welcome for all.
Preacher-scholar Brianna K. Parker reflects on the opportunities and challenges pastoral leaders face regarding data on worship practices and on how asking good questions and commissioning good research can be beneficial.
Author Latasha Morrison reflects on opportunities and challenges churches face in healing, equity, and reconciliation, specifically through the lens of discipleship and spiritual transformation.
Te-Li Lau on the Cultivation of Emotions in Worship
Professor Te-Li Lau reflects on the opportunity and challenge of cultivating and nurturing godly emotions in public worship and connecting them to scripture.
Professor Rolanda L. Ward challenges communities of faith to pause and consider the harm in our world and the role lamentation has in helping us work through these tragedies in everyday living.
The psalms present a world full of color, texture, and depth. Join us for this panel discussion in which participants explore the contribution of visual artists to our experience of the psalms. What do visual artists see when they approach the psalms? How can visual artists help form our theological imaginations? What role do the visual arts play in interpretation? This stimulating discussion aims to equip worshipers and leaders with resources for engaging the rich visual imagery of the psalms.
Local Songwriting as CSA: Support Your Local Psalm Grower!
Riffing on the themes of community-supported agriculture (CSA), Cardiphonia and Bellwether Arts have been partnering with homegrown liturgical artists to create local, organically produced fruits of the psalms through song, art, and prayer—community-supported artistry. Since 2015 they’ve been on a journey of seasonal engagement through which they have lovingly harvested almost two hundred songs, dozens of original artworks, and other liturgical produce. In this workshop you will hear from a variety of growers who sow and reap in West Michigan in various soils and sediments.
The psalms are a rich resource for our human experience of emotions, community, and connection to God. We will practice activities based on the truth of the psalms and on psychology to strengthen our capacity for navigating suffering with grace and resilience.
The psalms present a world full of color, texture, and depth. Join us for this panel discussion in which participants explore the contribution of visual artists to our experience of the psalms. What do visual artists see when they approach the psalms? How can visual artists help form our theological imaginations? What role do the visual arts play in interpretation? This stimulating discussion aims to equip worshipers and leaders with resources for engaging the rich visual imagery of the psalms.
Local Songwriting as CSA: Support Your Local Psalm Grower!
Riffing on the themes of community-supported agriculture (CSA), Cardiphonia and Bellwether Arts have been partnering with homegrown liturgical artists to create local, organically produced fruits of the psalms through song, art, and prayer—community-supported artistry. Since 2015 they’ve been on a journey of seasonal engagement through which they have lovingly harvested almost two hundred songs, dozens of original artworks, and other liturgical produce. In this workshop you will hear from a variety of growers who sow and reap in West Michigan in various soils and sediments.
The psalms are a rich resource for our human experience of emotions, community, and connection to God. We will practice activities based on the truth of the psalms and on psychology to strengthen our capacity for navigating suffering with grace and resilience.
Preaching and Teaching the Psalms: A Conversation with Pastor-Theologians
A panel discussion in which Amanda Benckhuysen, Karen Campbell, G. Sujin Pak, and moderator Kathy Smith ponder the challenges and opportunities in preaching and teaching from the psalms. Are there incomplete or incorrect assumptions about the psalms that sermons and lectures can tackle? How do we handle the imprecatory psalms when we have a Savior who told us to love and forgive the very enemies many psalms talk about? The panel will consider these and other vital questions for preachers and teachers in today’s church.
