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 Worship Practices

Samford University

Jonathan Rodgers

To examine post-COVID worship in the Southern Baptist Church through interviews and surveys to gain an understanding of how worship has been and is being reconfigured.

Teacher-Scholar
Birmingham, alabama
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Accessibility

Samford University

Amanda Howard

To identify challenges faced by individuals with sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) during worship services, to investigate strategies for self-regulation, and to evaluate support programs offered by worshiping communities, in order to create a resource guide for worshiping communities to better include people with SPS during religious services.

Teacher-Scholar
Birmingham, alabama
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Historical

Seattle Pacific University

Mischa Willett

To foster greater appreciation for the diverse ways Christianity has shaped human creativity and to explore ways in which Christian literary genres have influenced the spiritual lives of Christian communities through an analysis of hymnody, devotionals, spiritual autobiography, sermons, allegory, and more.

Teacher-Scholar
Seattle, washington
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Historical

Seattle Pacific University

Matthew Sigler

To chronicle the history of the Charismatic Renewal movement in the Pacific Northwest by gathering stories from living witnesses, digitizing primary sources, and writing a monograph.

Teacher-Scholar
Seattle, washington
2024
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Worshiping Communities Creation Justice Liturgy

Second Presbyterian Church

To enlarge worshipers’ understanding of living a sacramental life to include praying through acts of earth care and environmental justice, through crafting creation-focused liturgies, hosting guest speakers, and encouraging environmentally ethical living.

Worshiping Communities
Richmond, virginia
2024
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Worshiping Communities Congregational Life Intergenerational

Shiloh Baptist Church

To promote appreciation for the diversity of gifts in the congregation and empower worshipers to live out their faith within and beyond the walls of the church by introducing visual arts, liturgical dance, and a choral program within worship services.

Worshiping Communities
Wilmington, delaware
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Worship Leadership

Society for Pentecostal Studies

Marcia Clarke

To equip pastors and worship leaders to guide congregations in theologically grounded, Spirit-informed worship experiences through promoting critical scholarly reflection on Pentecostal/Charismatic worship and collaboration between pastor-practioners and scholars.

Teacher-Scholar
Tulsa, oklahoma
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Historical Liturgy

Society of Christian Scholars

Julie Canlis

To foster deep experiences of living in Christ among Christian worshipers through an exploration of how the early church formed the liturgical calendar.

Teacher-Scholar
Overland Park, kansas
2024
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Worshiping Communities Missional Visual Arts

St. Andrew Presbyterian Church (2024)

To deepen worshipers' experience of the beauty and majesty of God in this church's unique space by engaging with the stories of the art glass windows lining the worship space.

Worshiping Communities
Sun City Center, florida
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Music

St. Andrew's College

Becca Whitla

To equip the Canadian church to use congregational song to further reconciliation between settlers and Indigenous peoples and to address questions relevant to the Canadian context through a conference and the development of shareable resources.

Teacher-Scholar
Saskatoon, saskatchewan
2024
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