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  • Resources
  • Grants

    Apply for Grants

    Apply for the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program to support and enhance Christian worship practices. We encourage proposals on universal design, cultural engagement, preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and more. Two grant streams are available.

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    All Grants Awarded

    Explore all grants awarded since the program launched in 2000, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

    Info for Current Recipients

    Explore detailed guidelines and support resources to help you manage your grant effectively.

    Teacher-Scholar Grants

    Apply for the Teacher Scholar Grant to support innovative research and teaching in Christian worship. Proposals from educators and scholars are welcome.

    Worshiping Communities Grants

    Apply for the Worshiping Communities Grant to support and enhance worship practices within your community. Proposals for diverse and innovative worship initiatives are welcome.

    Teacher-Scholar Grants

    Apply for the Teacher Scholar Grant to support innovative research and teaching in Christian worship. Proposals from educators and scholars are welcome.

    Worshiping Communities Grants

    Apply for the Worshiping Communities Grant to support and enhance worship practices within your community. Proposals for diverse and innovative worship initiatives are welcome.

  • Events

    Events

    Join us for our Symposium on Worship and Summer Seminars. Engage in inspiring sessions, workshops, and intensive seminars to deepen your understanding and practice of Christian worship.

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    Calendar of Events

    Consider joining an upcoming event we sponsor or support. An archive is also available for reference.

    Dwelling in the Psalms

    You are invited to join the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in a year of dwelling in the Psalms—the prayerbook and songbook of the Bible.

    Upcoming Event

    Cultural Values in Ministry—October 2025
    Developed in partnership with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Calvin University School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, this online course equips worship planners and leaders of all types of ministries with practical tools for relating well to people from a variety of cultures. Understanding and respecting cultural differences is key to a healthy ministry. 
    October 20 - 31, 2025
    View Event
  • About

    About

    The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin University advances Christian worship through resources, events, and grants. Since 1997, we have partnered with congregations and organizations to fulfill our mission.

    Learn More

    Mission

    We promote the study and renewal of Christian worship through partnerships at Calvin University.

    What We Do

    We partner with congregations and organizations, focusing on resources, events, and grants.

    Diversity and Inclusion

    We promote worship practices that celebrate diversity and foster inclusion in all communities.

    Partners

    Discover our generous funding partners who make our programs possible through their support and grants.

    Staff Directory

    Find contact information and profiles for CICW staff across all programs.

    Learn at Calvin

    Calvin University offers many options for learners and students of all ages and contexts.

    Learn about MLC

    Learn about MLC

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    MLC Leadership Staff

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort staff.

    MLC Peer Leaders

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort peer leaders.

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    Contact Us

    Get in touch with us for inquiries, support, or more information about our programs and services.

    Staff Directory

    Find contact information and profiles for CICW staff across all programs.

    Learn at Calvin

    Calvin University offers many options for learners and students of all ages and contexts.

    Learn about MLC

    Learn about MLC

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    MLC Leadership Staff

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort staff.

    MLC Peer Leaders

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort peer leaders.

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    Contact Us

    Get in touch with us for inquiries, support, or more information about our programs and services.


  • Resources

  • Grants
    • All Grants Awarded
    • Info for Current Recipients
    • Teacher-Scholar Grants
    • Worshiping Communities Grants

  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • Dwelling in the Psalms

  • About
    • Mission
    • What We Do
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Partners
    • Staff Directory
    • Learn at Calvin
    • Learn about MLC
      • Learn about MLC
      • MLC Leadership Staff
      • MLC Peer Leaders
    • Contact Us

  • 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA

    On the campus of Calvin University

    © 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship


Search Results

Article Faith Formation Intergenerational Pastoral Care

The Community with a Story of Faithfulness - Celebrating a Congregational Anniversary - Psalm 78

A sample church anniversary service based on Psalm 78. The service includes a rehearsal of the story, a recollection and reminder of God's guidance, expressions of thanks and praise, and a commitment to continue faithfully into the future.
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Article

Symposium 2013 Presenters

A list of presenters from Symposium 2013
Article Pastoral Care Prayer

Chaplaincy Changes during COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has raised the profile of chaplains and profoundly affected how they do their work. Learn how you and your congregation can pray for chaplains and those they serve.
Article Christian Year Cultural Diversity Drama

Four Types of Advent and Christmas Eve Services: Which Have You Tried?

Experimenting with a different Advent or Christmas Eve worship format may help worshipers connect with the joy and wonder of Christ’s birth. Blue Christmas, Christmas pageants, Las Posadas, or lessons and carols make room for emotions, movement, culture, and people’s gifts.
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Article Technology Teaching Technology

Digital Storytelling: Use multimedia in worship to enhance, not replace

Biblical storytellers Tracy Radosevic and Tim Coombs and liturgical media arts expert Eileen D. Crowley explain how to tell God's stories in a digital age. They show how to add layers of images, sounds, and experiences to enhance worship. A feature story exploring the use of multimedia in worship.
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Article Planning Worship

Planning and Leading Worship as a Pastoral Task

We need a new perspective, a way of conceptualizing our roles as worship leaders that will sustain our day-to-day work in our congregations.
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Article Theology Cultural Diversity Preaching

Why Preach 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.
Almeda M. Wright
Podcast Cultural Diversity Intergenerational

Almeda M. Wright on the Beautiful and Complex Lives of Young People

In this episode, Almeda M. Wright shares about her research that explores the spiritual lives of African American youth and points to a complex picture of both the fragmentation and integration in their spiritual lives as they learn to balance experiences of suffering while persisting along pathways to life more abundantly in Christ.
Video Faith Formation Intergenerational

Youth, Liturgy, and Life to the Full: A Conversation with Tim O'Malley and Elizabeth Tamez Méndez

In this conversation Catholic theologian and educator Tim O'Malley of the McGrath Institute for Church Life reflects on the significance of several key values in the lives of youth that work together to form lives shaped by scripture and transformed by God.
Article Planning Worship Cultural Diversity En Español

Tony Perez on the Silence of God

Although Tony Perez was born in a Christian home in his Guatemalan homeland, it wasn’t until he was 22 that he had a personal encounter with the Lord, in a small church in the city of Huntington Park, California.
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About

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  • Contact Us

1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA

On the campus of Calvin University

© 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

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