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 Collaboration Music

Bethel Univeristy

Becki Graves

To celebrate the diversity of Christianity through exploring the contemplative, Holiness, Evangelical, social justice, charismatic, and incarnational expressions of the Church as part of the process of creating original artistic, poetic, and musical stations of the cross to share in local churches.

Teacher-Scholar
Mishawaka, indiana
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Hermeneutics Historical

Boston University School of Theology (2024)

Shively Smith

To showcase and provide access to the scriptural interpretations of nineteenth-century African American women by curating a web-based lectionary resource.

Teacher-Scholar
Boston, massachusetts
2024
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Worshiping Communities Formation Hermeneutics

Calvin University

Daniel Jesse

To investigate how the lyrics and melodies of contemporary Christian music influence the way worshipers perceive and articulate their feelings in relation to their faith, with a particular focus on the way sadness is expressed in worship.

Worshiping Communities
Grand Rapids, michigan
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Online Resources

Calvin University

Debra Rienstra

To provide inspirational and practical examples of how churches and individual Christians can address the climate crisis in podcast interviews of Christian communities who have adapted their mission and practices toward a more just and sustainable world.

Teacher-Scholar
Grand Rapids, michigan
2024
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Worshiping Communities Collaboration Formation

Campbell University

To engage in spiritual practices of liturgical writing, reflection, prayer, and art to collaboratively create a community prayer book that will facilitate the spiritual growth and well-being of the community through both personal and communal use.

Worshiping Communities
Buies Creek, north carolina
2024
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Worshiping Communities Work and Worship

Canadian Baptist Ministries | Vennture

To create worship resources that will teach a biblical theology of work to narrow the gap between gathered times of worship and the other six days of the week.

Worshiping Communities
Kiersteadville, new brunswick
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Historical Liturgy

Candler School of Theology

Antonio E. Alonso

To spark deeper conversations about the significance of the materiality of lived Christian practice through theological reflection on the reception of Vatican II liturgical reforms in Asian, Latine, and Black Catholic contexts.

Teacher-Scholar
Atlanta, georgia
2024
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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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