1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
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?
How do we find God outside of the sanctuary?
This session delved more deeply into the conference worship theme by probing key scriptural texts on the theme of divine glory, reviewing contributions of influential theological texts, and then exploring the pastoral dimensions of weaving this luminous theme into everyday ministry back home.
This session investigated possible hymns and choruses in the New Testament and discussed if this material is beneficial in our choice of music today.
This workshop reflected on the rise of Alternative Worship in the United Kingdom over almost two decades, which has led at different times to both sublime and ridiculous innovations in worship practice.
What is spiritual formation?
In this workshop, participants were led to discover the form of Biblical lament and how lament can be used in worship to facilitate the revitalization of a Gospel community experiencing loss and change. The workshop was based on the presenter's book, When Steeples Cry: Leading Congregations through Loss and Change.
What is the homiletical counterpart to the "Emergent" church movement/conversation? In an increasingly postmodern world, how does the church speak a Word from God? The panel explored some of the current experiments in postmodern proclamation as the church makes its way to finding a culturally authentic "NuHomiletic."
Back by popular demand from the 2003 Worship Symposium, this session reviewed a series of proverbs for worship planners, reflecting a summary of Calvin Institute of Christian Worship learning from past conferences, grant recipients, and publication projects.
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.
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.
Does gender ever enter into what we do in worship? Is it possible that men and women might bring different things to the worship experience? If so, how can our worship reflect the fullness of who we are as male and female created in God's image? This workshop explored these questions.
