Christian Service Brigade

Christian Service Brigade (CSB) (a.k.a. CSB Ministries) is a non-denominational Christian organization for men and boys in the United States and Canada. Often referred to as "Brigade," it is organized according to a model historically similar to that of international Boys Brigade and Scouting organizations. More than a scout alternative, Brigade programs put a particular emphasis on the relationship between fathers and sons, and equip men in the local church to mentor and disciple boys and young men through an action-driven process, with a spiritual application associated with all activities. Brigade units are sponsored by local churches, and these are typically Protestant and Evangelical in character. The Christian Service Brigade motto is "Bright and Keen for Christ."

Brigade was founded in 1937 by Joe Coughlin (1919–2005), then a sophomore at Wheaton College, Illinois. It began as a boys' group, under the name of the "Christian Service Squad," at the Methodist church in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where Coughlin served as a Sunday School teacher. By 1940, when Christian Service Brigade was formally organized with a governing board, there were Brigade units at 18 churches in the Chicago area. From there, Brigade spread to churches across the United States and Canada. Today, units are most highly concentrated in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio.

"Units" refer to the individual chapters of Christian Service Brigade at local churches. Units are numbered in the order of their founding, and each unit can consist of any (and often all) of the following programs:

Stockade (ages 8–11) is a program organized along the lines of the Cub Scouts. A Stockade is headed by an adult volunteer, the Chief Ranger, who is assisted by other adult volunteers, Rangers, who supervise sub-units called posts. Boys are typically assigned to posts according to their age. All Stockaders wear light blue uniforms that sport patches marking the accomplishment of various achievements. Builders (8 and 9 year-olds) earn patches called Blockhouses (of which there are eight), while Sentinels (10 and 11 year-olds) earn patches called Stations (of which there are also eight). The dark green uniforms worn by Rangers and Chief Rangers are similar to those worn by Brigadiers (members of Battalion).

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