1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
How do Christ's life, death, and resurrection save us? What poetic imagination do we use to grasp his saving work?
There are unique and wonderful challenges in following the apostle Paul's example of preaching Christ and Him crucified from the gospels. How do we faithfully communicate the message of Christ from the very words and life of Christ himself? It may seem obvious, but too often men and women are getting it wrong.
Frederick Buechner writes that people "as a rule see only what they expect to see and little more." The preacher's calling is see beyond what we expect to see and help congregations to do the same. This session discussed what the preacher can do to be faithful to this calling.
Todd Farley shows preachers how to use body communication to preach lively sermons. His embodied preaching ideas spring from a theology of restoring arts to ministry. A feature story exploring body communication in preaching.
Whether you say multicultural, multiracial, or multiethnic, churches want to become more diverse. So many churches want to know: what makes a congregation successfully multiethnic? A feature story exploring successful multicultural churches.
While studying successful multiethnic Protestant churches in metro Los Angeles, Gerardo Marti experienced tremendous variations in worship. “The churches ranged from highly liturgical and mainline to wildly charismatic and Pentecostal.
It turns out that preaching sermons based on the Heidelberg Catechism--or other confessions--hits home with worshipers, including those from the postmodern generation. A feature story exploring the value of preaching sermons based on a Catechism.
It turns out that preaching sermons based on the Heidelberg Catechism--or other confessions--hits home with worshipers, including those from the postmodern generation. A feature story exploring the value of preaching sermons based on a Catechism.
Paul said that all Scripture is God-breathed. Still, when did you last hear a sermon on the Old Testament? A feature story exploring the case for preaching the Old Testament.
Based on the speaker's book, this presentation explored the foundations of our spiritual longing and the basics of the Christian faith.
This workshop discussed how contemporary short stories from writers such as Flannery O'Connor, Doris Betts, and Raymond Carver resonate with New Testament themes and how such stories might help preachers find ways to relate contemporary themes to their listeners.
In this session philosopher John Cooper presented key points in the theology and philosophy that undergirds our understanding of God's providential care in a world where terrible things happen all the time. Why do bad things happen to good people? Scott Hoezee connected these thoughts to the pastoral care that preachers can provide from the pulpit. This session aimed to be both rigorously thoughtful and pastorally practical for the life of the church.
