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.
Trinity Presbyterian Church (2018)
To immerse children from varied religious backgrounds in reflection on worship practices by engaging them in music composition, singing, liturgy writing, and Scripture reading, and to expose adults to the worship styles and traditions of those children.
University of Dubuque (2018)
To raise up the value of sacred space by exploring how the practice and visually marking of sacred space in the chapel can extend into the rest of the campus.
American Lutheran Church (2017)
To deepen members’ experience of the holiness of God by exploring how various art forms can strengthen liturgical participation.
Bethlen Home of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America
To cultivate young Christian leaders to mature in a life-long faith by empowering them with the skills and knowledge to lead intergenerational worship.
Bridge Street African Wesleyan Methodist Espiscopal Church
To frame communal hymn singing as a spiritual discipline in order to increase worshipers’ awareness of God.
Carey Theological College (2017)
To unite persons of different generations in multilingual Chinese-Canadian churches by fostering collaboration between pastors and worship leaders and by strengthening intergenerational engagement with the Psalms.
Carver Christian High School
To equip youth to reflect on contextual needs as they plan, lead, and evaluate worship.
Cary First Christian Church
To strengthen participation in the sacraments through study and reflection on the connections between baptism, communion, faith formation and Christian community.
Christ United Methodist Church
To connect the public worship of churches with worshipers’ personal grief by studying historical and biblical liturgies of lament.
Cornerstone University (2017)
To integrate regular campus worship with the academic undergraduate liberal arts curriculum as a source of Christian formation.
First Christian Church
To equip lay leaders by providing training in giving testimony, proclaiming Scripture, offering public prayer, celebrating communion, and leading robust congregational song.
First Presbyterian Church of McMinnville
To discern God’s presence by exploring connections between corporate worship and responsiveness to God in daily life.