CICW has awarded Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for over 20 years to teacher-scholars and worshiping communities in 45+ states and provinces and across 40+ denominations and traditions—including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, non-denominational, and other Protestant communities.


While worship styles and practices vary greatly across these traditions, the grant projects typically explore at least one of CICW’s ten core convictions related to worship. Explore the hundreds of projects we’ve funded across both streams of the program.

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Teacher-Scholar Formation Hermeneutics

Abilene Christian University

Myles Werntz

To help worshiping communities learn about the moral life by connecting categories of moral reasoning to the ongoing practice of worship and discipleship as described in Psalm 23.

Teacher-Scholar
Abilene, texas
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Technology Worship Practices

Abilene Christian University

Brad East

To deepen Christian discernment about the impact of digital technology on Christian worship through the study of both challenges and opportunities presented to churches, pastoral ministry, and public worship by new digital mediums.

Teacher-Scholar
Abilene, texas
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Preaching

Abilene Christian University

Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby

To explore the efficacy of preaching through the lens of affect theory to help preachers think carefully about the extralinguistic properties of proclamation and the ethical questions of the power of preaching.

Teacher-Scholar
Abilene, texas
2024
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Worshiping Communities Missional Music

Advent Lutheran Church

To engage a growing population of people who identify as spiritual, but not religious, and to increase awareness of God's presence in daily life by hosting a monthly worship series that draws connections between familiar secular music and the gospel.

Worshiping Communities
New York, new york
2024
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Worshiping Communities Education/Leadership

Alamance Presbyterian Church

To cultivate wonder and gratitude for God and creation, to deeply engage lay people in scriptural interpretation, and to empower new leaders within the church by learning and contemplating worship and growing in creative expressions of worship.

Worshiping Communities
Greensboro, north carolina
2024
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Worshiping Communities Accessibility Education/Leadership

Allisonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

To develop more inclusive worship practices by first learning about the needs and desires ofthose often excluded from worship and the obstacles they often face, and to then initiate new worship practices.

Worshiping Communities
Indianapolis, indiana
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Historical Liturgy

Aquinas Institute of Theology

Nathan Chase

To study the connection between sacramental practices and ordinary life (meal, ministry of touch, and oil) through three historical case studies from the early church and Roman Catholic liturgical practice to help Roman Catholic worshiping communities understand the historical origins of Eucharist, healing, and ordination.

Teacher-Scholar
St. Louis, missouri
2024
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Worshiping Communities Bilingual Formation

ARISE Ministries

To promote healthy spiritual formation for Korean American youth and young adults in New England through resource development, worship retreats, and spiritual formation discipleship cohorts.

Worshiping Communities
Malden, massachusetts
2024
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Worshiping Communities Creation Care

Atlanta Oikos

To renew the campus ministry's relationship with God's ecological household through the implementation of worship practices that promote better ecological care and stewardship.

Worshiping Communities
Atlanta, georgia
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Worship Practices

Baylor University

Melody Escobar

To explore worship practices that foster belonging among marginalized populations through an ethnographic study of an interdenominational church that worships under a highway overpass.

Teacher-Scholar
Waco, texas
2024
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Worshiping Communities Liturgy Multicultural

Baylor University Chapel

To integrate psalms into corporate and private worship habits in an ecumenical setting, primarily through guided conversations and scholarly-artistic engagement with university students and local pastors.

Worshiping Communities
Waco, texas
2024
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Worshiping Communities Liturgy Music

Bellwether Arts

To deepen engagement with Jesus’ teachings by creating songs, liturgies, and visual artwork in response to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for use in congregational worship and art-making events.

Worshiping Communities
Brentwood, tennessee
2024
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