Jonathan Calvillo on Churches and Hip-hop
Sociologist Jonathan Calvillo grew up in Latinx Pentecostal churches where church leaders made room for young Christians to express themselves through hip-hop. His life experiences and research explore what churches can learn from hip-hop creatives.
December 18, 2025
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8 min read
Lessons and Carols
An index of service outlines from past Lessons and Carols services, performed by Calvin University ensembles.
December 5, 2025
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1 min read
Vinroy D. Brown Jr. on Black Psalmody is for Everyone
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
December 2, 2025
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34 min listen
Registration Opens for Psalms 150: A Conference Experience
This conference, part of CICW’s year of dwelling in the psalms, takes place February 5–6, 2026. Worship services and breakout sessions will explore the many ways the biblical psalms form, encourage, and inspire Christians in their public worship and daily life.
November 17, 2025
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2 min read
Psalm Festival Program
As part of its year of Dwelling in the Psalms, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is providing support to worshiping communities throughout the United States and Canada to host a public psalm festival worship event that features congregational singing based on Psalms. We encourage using the resource Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship (Brazos and Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2012) and other psalm resources of your choosing.See this growing list of confirmed festivals.
October 3, 2025
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2 min read
Kai Ton Chau on Love of Learning and Worship Leader Well-Being
Scholar Kai Ton Chau makes the case that churches should support worship leaders by giving them opportunities to learn and grow in their jobs.
September 30, 2025
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6 min read
Mark Franzen on Experiencing God through Sacred Music
A sacred music grant project helped Catholic parishioners from many ethnicities—Anglo, Eritrean, Filipino, Latino, Nigerian, Vietnamese, and more—experience the awe and mystery of faith and God.
August 29, 2025
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8 min read
Contextual Stories from Hispanic Worshiping Communities
Pastors of three Hispanic churches will share what they learned from experiences implementing congregational projects related to the development of new understandings and practices of worship and preaching.
August 27, 2025
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59 min video
Cultivating the Creative Life
What is creativity, and why do we still need to talk about it? Join Sandra McCracken in a conversation on faith, imagination, and creativity.
August 5, 2025
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62 min video
Playing Well with Others: Musical Collaboration in the Worship Service
Musical collaboration in worship can be rewarding: it can build relationships, enrich the musical life of a congregation, and add more colors, timbres, and textures.
July 15, 2025
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60 min video
Translating Korean Heart Music into English Songs for Worship
An emerging initiative to translate contemporary Korean worship songs into English is yielding fruitful questions and collaborations. The project is building ecumenical and generational community while introducing English speakers to Korean Christians’ ardent commitment to God, both personally and communally.
April 17, 2025
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11 min read
Welcoming Contemporary Korean English Songs in Sunday Worship
Korean Christians worldwide enjoy contemporary worship songs by Korean composers, but these are seldom sung in the main Sunday liturgies of Korean Protestant churches. An emerging initiative to translate Korean heart songs to English can unite different worshiping generations and cultures. This initiative can also help Korean and English-speaking churches identify, appreciate, and question their cultural views on worship.
April 14, 2025
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11 min read
