1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
This presentation addressed practical ways congregations can have a real impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families living in their community and to make worship more accessible to everyone.
Many churches need to use the Scriptures more in their worship. This seminar explored why and how the Bible should inform, infuse, and enrich our worship planning and leading. It also looked at practical ways to bring the Word in all its richness into our worship services.
This session explored the possibility of discerning the presence of the Holy Spirit in preaching and then discussed some manifestations of the Spirit in sermons, particularly focusing on the expressions of lament and celebration.
In this session, RCA general secretary Wes Granberg-Michaelson explored congregational leadership that is built on and extends from the inner spiritual lives of leaders, and explored how this relates to the dynamics of organizational change. The presentation drew from his book Leadership from Inside Out.
This session explored, first, the relationship between Baptismal theology and vocation, and second, a variety of pedagogies designed to invite youth to imagine faithfully their unfolding futures with God.
This workshop discussed what Dallas Willard calls the "elephant in the church" - the general failure of training adult Christians to be dedicated followers of Jesus Christ.
This workshop focused on the formative power of the lectionary when it is read within the theological narrative of the Christian year: the story of salvation.
In this presentation, religion journalist Richard Ostling analyzed trends in American faith and culture that worship leaders, pastors and ordinary worshipers need to be aware of.
This session explored the deep Trinitarian meanings and implications of the sacraments. Though centered on our union with and participation in Christ, Baptism and the Lord's Supper draw us into the heart of the divine community we call Trinity.
Differing circumstances call forth different liturgical, theological and formational questions and inspire different congregational conversations about what we do in worship and why we do it. The workshop began with a PowerPoint presentation on the history of Christian worship and its relationship to spiritual formation in congregational life, concluding with 'where we are now.' Practices for spiritual formation were described in relation to the congregation's worship life.
In this presentation, several contributors to the recent book The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together explored the issues involved, highlighted some of the findings, and stimulated further reflection.
This wide-ranging question-and-answer session discussed religious and journalistic trends in the United States with the former religion writer for Time magazine and The Associated Press.
