Conservative Anabaptist Service Program

The Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) is a service that is under the direction of Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) and offers alternative employment solutions for conscientious objectors to serve if the U.S. government activates a draft in the military. CASP has pilot projects already in place where men who are draft-age work and serve as if a draft were already reinstated. CASP provides the opportunity for alternative service inside an ethical and moral work environment.

At the end of the Vietnam War, there was no alternative service program for conscientious objectors in place in the U.S. Many Anabaptist church leaders were concerned about this situation and how it could effect their draft age young men should another military draft be instituted in the United States of America.

In 2005, several concerned leaders from Anabaptist churches approached Christian Aid Ministries with the idea of developing an alternative service program that would offer a solution for draft age men to serve in case a military draft went back into effect in the U.S. again. Christian Aid Ministries was asked to provide leadership in this endeavor, and in 2006, the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) was developed and the first pilot project was launched. Since that time, young men from around the U.S. have worked on projects that are approved by the United States Selective Service System even though no military draft has been in effect. The work and service done by each draft-age young man through CASP is then reported to the United States Selective Service System exemplifying their commitment to service. However, the goal is not just to work and serve only in place of a draft. The purpose of CASP is to serve in these projects to provide an alternative service solution for conscientious objectors, and to display and share the love of Christ to others through service across the country and around the world.

Project types include working with government and park officials on forestry projects, rebuilding homes for disaster victims, and even projects like building a bridge in Honduras to help in a high-traffic area during the rainy season.

Nineteen church entities are in partnership with CASP, and they coordinate the pilot projects according to their own standards as long as those standards meet the required minimum code of conduct with Christian Aid Ministries. CASP was not only developed as a way to serve, but also for young men to benefit and grow spiritually and emotionally by serving others in their time of need and helping make their world a better place.