1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
This session drew upon biblical passages and confessional and liturgical texts from the Reformed tradition to demonstrate how Christian baptism is a communal, not an individual, sacrament.
The rhetorician James Winans once wrote, "A speech is not merely an essay standing on its hind legs." Yet many speakers—including preachers—write their messages in a style better suited for reading rather than hearing. To be an effective oral communicator, one must learn to write for the ear, not the eye.
In this workshop for new and emerging, as well as established and evolving congregations, we explored how new Christians and young children learn to relate to God, and what this teaches us about our practices of weekly congregational worship. The workshop featured insights from a number of congregations involved in a new Vertical Habits program hosted by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
The way we talk in worship affects the way we talk in the rest of our lives, and vice versa. Worship and daily life are integrally connected—a connection which is fundamental for developing healthy approaches to both worship and preaching.
As Christian school families are learning from their kids and grand kids, high school chapel services are a lot different than they used to be--and often more appreciated as well. A feature story exploring high school chapels.
The growing attention paid to the "emerging church" has certainly got people talking. And whatever the "emerging church" is, it seems to be quite a chameleon.
Why do so many Koreans convert to Christianity? And why is it so difficult to pass on this faith to children and grandchildren? A feature story exploring Korean American churches and how their faith is passed down from generation to generation.
A service plan based on Psalm 8:5-8 and Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 calling out the need for human beings made in the image of God to have purpose and excitement in their work in a series focused on vocation and how our faith and our work are integrated.
A service plan in a Lenten series focused on drawing close to Christ, who gives us courage to step out of our comfort zones.
The fifth service plan in a series entitled "Chapters of Life." This services focuses on the transition that takes place when the children are gone and the "nest is empty."
A service plan for the first Sunday after Easter focused on the life and faith of Enoch in an Eastertide series focusing on Bible stories that occurred before Christ's resurrection but which shed light on how we should live after his resurrection.
A worship service plan with the theme: "to do worship about worship," based on Revelation 1.
