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.

Cultural Engagement
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Music

Candler School of Theology

Jonathan Calvillo

To examine how hip-hop can be a resource for building spiritual community among Latinx diaspora by modeling how to integrate experiences of race, social engagement, and spiritual support in ministry with youth.

Teacher-Scholar
Atlanta, georgia
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Historical

Seattle Pacific University

Mischa Willett

To foster greater appreciation for the diverse ways Christianity has shaped human creativity and to explore ways in which Christian literary genres have influenced the spiritual lives of Christian communities through an analysis of hymnody, devotionals, spiritual autobiography, sermons, allegory, and more.

Teacher-Scholar
Seattle, washington
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Intercultural

École de Théologie Évangélique du Québec

Ruth Elaine Labeth

To study the composition of scripture-based songs in Creole churches in Guadeloupe to help worship leaders and pastors envision culturally contextualized worship.

Teacher-Scholar
Montreal, quebec
2023
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Public Witness

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Demetrius K. Williams

To explore the cross of Christ in African American Christian experience as motivation for piety, political engagement, and social protest by researching spirituals, narratives, sermons, and other resources that highlight the importance of the cross of Christ for notions of freedom and the unity of humanity in the church's public witness.

Teacher-Scholar
Milwaukee, wisconsin
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Historical

Cornerstone University

Martin Spence

To investigate the history of nationalism in American evangelical worship practices, working with congregational leaders to discern ways to disentangle Christian worship and nationalism.

Teacher-Scholar
Grand Rapids, michigan
2019
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