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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.

    Learn More

    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.

    Learn More

    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

    Artwork: "Celebration" by John August Swanson, 2003
    From Generation to Generation: A Service of Lessons and Carols
    Join Calvin University choirs for their fiftieth annual lessons and carols service, which coincides with Calvin University's 150th anniversary celebrations spanning the 2025–26 academic year. 
    December 7, 2025, 3:00 PM
    Grand Rapids
    , 
    Michigan
    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.

    Executive Director Search

    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.

    Executive Director Search


  • 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
    • Executive Director Search

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

    On the campus of Calvin University

    © 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship


Search Results

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Article Psalms/Scripture

God Knows Me! - Psalm 139

A worship service plan built around Psalm 139 and focusing on the depth of God's knowledge of us.
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Article Intergenerational Faith Formation

The Leadership Team is Assembled – Now What?

Sharon Veltema on how to move forward once you have established a youth ministry team.
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Article Theology

Musical Theology: Past lessons, present perspectives

Music shapes belief. Even people who've lost other memories or speech often remember songs. That's why it's important to choose worship music that fully expresses your church's theology. A feature story exploring the importance of music theology.
Christ, Holy Vine, Christ, Living Tree
Video Service/Vesper

Service of Song and Prayer

David M. Cherwien and The Choral Scholars will lead this service of song and prayer centered around the botanical images of Christ and his people found in scripture.
Article Cultural Diversity Music/Song

Jean Ngoya Kidula on Ethnomusicology and Ethnodoxology

Scholar Jean Ngoya Kidula explains how ethnomusicology and ethnodoxology can widen churches’ musical palates. Accepting this opportunity will expand how congregations understand and praise God.
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Article Theology Faith Formation

For Us - John 5, 1 Thessalonians 4

A service plan for Eastertide focused on our personal resurrection from the dead on the day in which Christ returns in an Eastertide series focusing on Bible stories that occurred before Christ's resurrection but which shed light on how we should live after his resurrection.
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Worshiping Communities Architecture/Space

First Baptist Church on Fifth

To reflect the church's renewed mission to become a sanctuary for the city by broadening worshipers' imagination for worship and deepening its engagement with the community.
people at worship service
Article Christian Year Planning Worship

The People with a Song - Psalm 147

A service plan showing the people of God as a singing people. Their song is a "new song" and reflects their faith in God and their remembrance of his mighty acts. Part of an Advent series focused on the tension between the message that "Christ has come" and "not all is yet accomplished."
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Article Christian Year

What Is Truth? - John 18

A service plan for the fifth Sunday of Lent planned around John 18:38. This service is part of "Questions of the Last Week," a series of Lent service plans.
Article Christian Year Music/Song Theology

Top Songs for Pentecost

Six pastors and church musicians list their top songs for Pentecost. You can find most of these songs on Hymnary.org or YouTube.
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Resources

  • Resource Library
  • Audio & Video
  • Publications

Events

  • Calendar
  • Symposium on Worship

Grants

  • Teacher-Scholar Grants
  • Worshiping Communities
  • Current and Past Grants

About

  • Our Mission
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Funding and Partners
  • Staff Directory
  • 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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