1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
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.
This session introduced participants to the world of 16th century printing and focused on books used in early Reformed worship. Participants were able to look closely at these rare books and to gain a better sense of the impact of printing on the faith and practice of early modern Christians.
This interactive seminar explored the cultural forces shaping teenagers' attitudes towards life as well as current research on teenage spirituality, in order to help think strategically about connecting young people with the Christian faith through worship.
This session considered what we can learn from the early Christians about dealing with musical problems in the midst of a pagan culture.
Asaph is hardly a household name, yet he has been impacting worshipers for 3,000 years. Twelve psalms are attributed to Asaph. Scripture reveals that Asaph was a man of integrity as well as a great artist. This workshop explored the man and his art to glean practical applications for us today.
Throughout church history views of worship have tended toward polarization: Spirit or Word? Planned or spontaneous? Reverent or celebratory? Relevant or historically rooted? For God or for us?
This workshop offered practical ways parents and the church can partner together to help engage children in worship.
As preachers we commonly assume that preaching and proclamation are synonyms. This workshop will introduce ways in which proclamation has distinct forms that are in contrast to those of teaching. By becoming familiar with them we can be more faithful to the gospel, more creative in our articulation of it, and more effective in making our sermons a joyous witness to the triune God.
This session took the Psalms as a case study for considering what it means for the preacher, first, and then the congregation, to be astonished by the biblical text. How might this ancient poetry be surprising, and therefore revelatory, to those who hear it in our contemporary contexts? What sort of preparation is necessary for the preacher who wishes to engage the Psalms as poetry?
This session considered a church building as being part of, and contributing to, the neighborhood that surrounds it. We explored how a building connects to a neighborhood in terms of scale and style, helping to shape the public realm, and how threshold points operate between the church and the public.
The physical locations and buildings that we use for worshiping the Triune God are influenced by the theological beliefs and choices of those who have gone before us.
The small choices preachers make provide hearers not only with a better understanding of the text, but also with a keen understanding of the preacher.
