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Dwelling in the Psalms

You are invited to join the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) in a year of dwelling in the Psalms—the prayerbook and songbook of the Bible. Together, the 150 psalms guide Christian worshipers through the full range of human emotions and experiences, making space for communities to practice praise and lament, to ask questions and find words of comfort, and so much more. Our work at CICW over the years has connected us to many people engaging in thoughtful and imaginative work around the psalms. We are eager to build on those connections and encourage more new and ancient ways to dwell in the psalms.

November 3, 2025 | 2 min read
CICW Staff Members’ Favorite Psalm Resources

Want to help your community spend more time with the psalms? With so many resources to choose from, how do you find the right ones for your context? The team at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) is here to help. We keep this page updated with our top recommendations. 

November 3, 2025 | 2 min read
Worship Institute Receives Grant to Continue Shalom-Shaping Work

The three-year grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will support further work in grantmaking, resource development, and formative learning events.

October 20, 2025 | 2 min read

Thanksgiving Resource Guide

Thanksgiving celebrations were an important part of the people's worship before God. Throughout history, worshiping communities have set aside certain times and days as events of special thanksgiving to God.

October 9, 2025 | 1 min read
Psalm Festival Program

As part of its year of Dwelling in the Psalms, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is providing support to worshiping communities throughout the United States and Canada to host a public psalm festival worship event that features congregational singing based on Psalms. We encourage using the resource Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship (Brazos and Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2012) and other psalm resources of your choosing.

October 3, 2025 | 2 min read

Salmo 15: La ética social como requisito de la adoración

El Salmo 15 es un llamado a adorar a Dios con integridad y justicia en nuestras relaciones con el prójimo. En la medida en que, diariamente, vivimos nuestras relaciones sociales con acciones de justicia y respeto hacia nuestros semejantes, nuestro culto es aceptable al Señor. 

October 1, 2025 | 9 min read
Kai Ton Chau on Love of Learning and Worship Leader Well-Being

Scholar Kai Ton Chau makes the case that churches should support worship leaders by giving them opportunities to learn and grow in their jobs.

September 30, 2025 | 6 min read
Vertical Habits: Worship and Our Faith Vocabulary

Vertical Habits is a name given to the process of connecting words used in our relationship with people with words used to express these emotions to God. The biblical Psalms are the foundational mentor and guide in this vocabulary and grammar for worship.

September 10, 2025 | 5 min read

Sunday Formation for the Monday Priesthood

The last few minutes of corporate worship are critical because they frame the entire purpose of worship and its connection to our lives in the world.  

September 9, 2025 | 1 min video
Mark Franzen on Experiencing God through Sacred Music

A sacred music grant project helped Catholic parishioners from many ethnicities—Anglo, Eritrean, Filipino, Latino, Nigerian, Vietnamese, and more—experience the awe and mystery of faith and God. 

August 29, 2025 | 9 min read
Contextual Stories from Hispanic Worshiping Communities

Pastors of three Hispanic churches will share what they learned from experiences implementing congregational projects related to the development of new understandings and practices of worship and preaching.

August 27, 2025 | 59 min video