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 Visual Arts

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)

Rebecca Slough

To explore how the spatial and visual dimensions of congregational worship shape diverse Anabaptist communities, in order to create resources that facilitate culturally-informed reflection on visual arts in worship and to curate visual art resources for use in Anabaptist worship. 

Teacher-Scholar
Elkhart, indiana
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Worship Practices

Candler School of Theology

Antonio Alonso

To tell the story of the theological significance of ordinary material objects and the theological convictions they express, in order to encourage deeper attentiveness to the diverse materials through which we worship God.

Teacher-Scholar
Atlanta, georgia
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Trauma Worship Practices

Dallas International University

Beth Argot

To study the relationship between historical worship practices and arts and trauma healing practices in order to explore the potential for healing and increased wellbeing of worshipers within the context of public worship.

Teacher-Scholar
Dallas, texas
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Worship Leadership

Dordt University

Jeremy Perigo

To investigate emerging issues in liturgical theology through podcast and video interviews with scholars and practitioners, in order to empower local ministry leaders and churches to discern theologically and imagine liturgically the characteristics of Christian worship in their own context.

Teacher-Scholar
Sioux Center, iowa
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Education/Leadership Worship Practices

Duke University Divinity School

John Ruth

To survey the present state of college and seminary instruction on the theology, history, and practice of contemporary praise and worship, and to engage scholars in conversation around recent and emerging scholarship on contemporary worship in order to create a podcast series and a curriculum guide for worship educators and church practitioners.

Teacher-Scholar
Durham, north carolina
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Visual Arts Formation

Fuller Seminary/Brehm Center

Maria Eugenia Fee

To establish and facilitate a series of arts-based leadership development workshops for pastors and church leaders in order to introduce them to the formational value of the arts in worship and invigorate arts-based worship practices in their faith communities.

Teacher-Scholar
Pasadena, california
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Ecumenical Sacraments

Goshen College

John D. Roth

To foster ecumenical conversations about baptism by hosting seminars for pastors and lay leaders using a newly created accessible study guide on the recent groundbreaking report of the international Lutheran-Mennonite-Roman Catholic Trilateral Dialogue on Baptism. 

Teacher-Scholar
Goshen, indiana
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Architecture/Space

Hope College

Lindsey Hanson

To investigate emerging theological issues in worship with scholars and practitioners by reflecting on a cross-disciplinary collaboration of dance, architectural design, and film within a worship space, and empowering local ministry leaders and churches to discern theologically and imagine liturgically the characteristics of Christian worship in their own context by engaging curated online media.  

Teacher-Scholar
Holland, michigan
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Intercultural Liturgy

Knox College

Sarah Travis

To create and field-test a preaching and liturgical resource addressing reconciliation among Settler Canadians and Indigenous peoples for the Presbyterian Church in Canada, based on two Calls to Action from the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Teacher-Scholar
Toronto, ontario
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Ecumenical Sacraments

Lee University

Christopher A. Stephenson

To develop a pneumatological perspective on baptism and the Lord's Supper that nurtures vibrant experiences of the Holy Spirit within traditional liturgical forms and practices, and to encourage substantial Pentecostal contributions to ecumenical dialogue on the sacraments.

Teacher-Scholar
Cleveland, tennessee
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Ecumenical Sacraments

Northwestern College

John Vonder Bruegge

To produce new, collaborative translations of Jesus’ parables that both remain true to the Greek text and strive for a listenability in their oral presentation, and to gather those translations into a publication that equips worshiping communities to deliver the texts orally in worship.

Teacher-Scholar
Orange City, iowa
2021
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Teacher-Scholar Accessibility

OCAD University

David Pereyra

To gather diverse worshiping communities in online workshops and webinars in order to create a culture of inclusion by assessing inclusive thinking, helping communities develop strategies to increase their inclusivity, and gathering data to develop on online reference guide on accessibility that will empower faith leaders to use varied strategies of inclusion. 

Teacher-Scholar
Toronto, ontario
2021
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