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 Missional Youth

Fuller Youth Institute

Tyler Greenway

To investigate the perceptions of public worship practices among young people who do not regularly attend worship services, in order to provide insight to Christian worshiping communities as they seek to better understand the life narratives of this population.

Teacher-Scholar
Wayland, michigan
2020
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Teacher-Scholar Public Witness Sacraments

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Andrew Wymer and Kristen Daley Mosier

To engage the baptismal practices of diverse Christian communities in regions impacted by toxic water, and to construct a theoretical and practical vision of baptismal solidarity for the broader Church.

Teacher-Scholar
Evanston, illinois
2020
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Worshiping Communities Education/Leadership

Gustavus Adolphus College

To listen to and reflect on students’ experience of worship and to experiment with music, visual art, and space in worship in order to deepen and diversify student leadership and participation.

Worshiping Communities
Saint Peter, minnesota
2020
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Worshiping Communities Visual Arts

Holy Cross Lutheran Church (2020)

To enrich the worship life of the congregation by bringing a variety of art forms together in monthly feast services that reflect the beauty and truth of the Triune God.

Worshiping Communities
St. Louis, missouri
2020
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Teacher-Scholar Congregational Life Historical

Hope College

Lynn Japinga

To explore the history of policies and practices regarding divorce in the Reformed Church in America, and to study how these policies have shaped worship practices such as Scripture reading, public prayer, and preaching, and affected divorced people.

Teacher-Scholar
Holland, michigan
2020
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Worshiping Communities Alternative Liturgy

Light of Hope Presbyterian Church (2020)

To explore contextual methods of proclamation in a dinner and spirituality service that facilitates deeper participation of the community in worship.

Worshiping Communities
Marietta, georgia
2020
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Teacher-Scholar Preaching

McCormick Theological Seminary

Lis Valle-Ruiz

To study digitally mediated worship and preaching practices as it relates to the embodied experience, presence, and active participation from the perspectives of the worshipers. 

Teacher-Scholar
Chicago, illinois
2020
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Worshiping Communities Education/Leadership

Mennonite Worship and Song Committee

To educate and empower lay leaders and congregations to understand and embrace the various worship cultures that are part of the Mennonite song tradition in North America. 

Worshiping Communities
Harrisonburg, virginia
2020
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