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 Music

Mercer University

Nathan Myrick

To identify, through ethnographic research, the myriad ways that musical worship participates in human flourishing, and to share these insights with Christian leaders in order to promote healthy and vibrant communities of Christian fellowship and worship.

Teacher-Scholar
Macon, georgia
2020
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Worshiping Communities Liturgy Music

New Hope Presbyterian Church

To nurture community within the congregation and the neighborhood by promoting active participation in worship through the arts and the preached Word. 

Worshiping Communities
Orange, california
2020
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Worshiping Communities Accessibility

Saint Thomas More Catholic Community

To break down barriers to full participation in worship by identifying the ways people may be prevented from feeling welcomed or included and creating new practices that welcome all. 

Worshiping Communities
Saint Paul, minnesota
2020
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Worshiping Communities Education/Leadership Liturgy

Serenity the Prince of Peace Church of God In Christ

To create a consortium of young adults who will be trained and mentored to design and execute a monthly ecumenical, multicultural, and multigenerational worship gathering.

Worshiping Communities
Indianapolis, indiana
2020
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Worshiping Communities Liturgy

St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church

To initiate a contemplative worship service that uses participatory and sensually rich gestures, silence, and Celtic music in order to cultivate worshipers’ imagination of God. 

Worshiping Communities
Dahlonega, georgia
2020
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Worshiping Communities Liturgy

The Road Church

To explore ways the worshiping community’s values can be embodied in communal worship practices that shape worshipers' engagement with God, one another, and God’s world.

Worshiping Communities
Calgary, alberta
2020
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Teacher-Scholar Formation Worship Practices

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Mimi Larson

To gather wisdom from ministry leaders who thoughtfully engage children in worship, seeking to better theological and pedagogical understanding of how children make meaning of their worship experiences.

Teacher-Scholar
Wheaton, illinois
2020
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