Christian Service Mission

What Christian Service Mission does

Christian Service Mission (CSM) is a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit founded in 1970 by Johnny Lynch in Birmingham, Alabama, operating under the mission of connecting resources with needs through relational partnerships. The organization functions as a hub that links donors, volunteers, church partners, and community beneficiaries, channeling resources toward housing, disaster relief, volunteer mobilization, food systems, and workforce development. Its core programmatic surface includes a resource connection hub, SWATT volunteer teams, a housing ministry (including the YouthBuild program with Greater Shiloh), community gardens and aquaponics, internship pipelines, and disaster-relief deployments that have extended beyond Alabama into Tennessee, the Florida Panhandle, and Texas. CSM reports more than 100 church partners, approximately 20 employees, and 90% of donations directed to programs.

Name

Christian Service Mission

Legal name

Christian Service Mission

Website

https://csmission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Christian Service Mission is a 55-year-old Birmingham, Alabama nonprofit that connects donors, volunteers, and 100+ church partners to community needs via housing, disaster relief, aquaponics, and internship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Outreach and Faith-Based Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Community outreach services
• Disaster relief coordination
• Volunteer mobilization programs
• Housing repair ministry
• Faith-based nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CSM operates entirely on donations. The organization accepts general, designated, and restricted funds to support Birmingham's needs. Designated funds go to specific projects like food drives or housing programs, with any excess supporting the broader mission. Restricted funds come with signed agreements to focus on specific initiatives.
2. Multiple Donation Channels: Online giving through Overflow platform, mail-in checks to 3600 3rd Avenue South Birmingham AL 35222, text-to-give (CSMission to 44321), and stock donations allowing donors to avoid capital gain tax while deducting 100% of the contribution value.
3. Volunteer Mobilization: While volunteers do not pay to serve, their service hours and contributions enable CSM to operate programs at scale. Community service hours must be pre-approved by CSM staff.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Christian Service Mission operates a resource connection hub that links donors, volunteers, and church partners with underserved communities across Birmingham, Alabama. Its offering is a coordinated portfolio of community programs—housing ministry and home repairs, disaster relief response, community gardens with aquaponics, food and seasonal distributions (Back to School, Thankserving, Christmas in the City), and volunteer mobilization through SWATT teams—delivered through a network of 100+ local church partners. The organization is entirely donation-funded and serves individual community members, homeowners in need, and partner churches without charging fees for services.

Product overview

Christian Service Mission operates as a faith-based nonprofit offering a coordinated portfolio of community service programs unified by its mission to connect resources with needs through relational partnerships. The core offerings include resource connection coordination, volunteer mobilization through SWATT Teams, housing ministry for home repairs, disaster relief response, community gardens with aquaponics, internship programs, and seasonal initiatives (Back to School, Thankserving, Christmas in the City). The organization partners with local churches to deliver food security, housing support, youth development, and pastoral unity programs throughout Birmingham, AL.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Ministry Home repair and renovation service for underserved homeowners and church partners in the Birmingham area, with a construction team serving 3-4 days per week on home projects.
• Disaster Relief Program Emergency response and rebuilding program including disaster relief bucket preparation, flood relief coordination, and serving as the City of Birmingham's central hub for disaster relief (e.g., Hurricane Helene).
• Community Gardens & Aquaponics Urban gardening initiative including on-campus gardens, partner gardens in Pratt City, Avondale, and East Lake, an aquaponics system with hydroponically-grown lettuces and aquaponically-grown herbs, and distribution of tomato and pepper seedlings.
• SWATT Teams (Serving With Available Time & Talent) Recurring structured volunteer program with multiple teams including sorting teams, a construction team serving 3-4 days per week, photography/videography, marketing & communications, garden volunteers, and administrative support.
• Ministry Internship Program Year-round internship program for students and young adults pursuing college credit or exploring purposeful service, offering hands-on experience in ministry and nonprofit work alongside the CSM team.
• Back to School Program Annual school supply and resource distribution program partnering with 18+ organizations to serve students and families at the start of the academic year. Recent distribution delivered 7,395 pounds of school supplies.
• Thankserving Day Thanksgiving meal distribution initiative providing thousands of meals to families in need through church partnerships and volunteer coordination.
• Christmas in the City Holiday assistance program including Christmas shops and distributions to provide gifts and resources to underserved community members during the Christmas season.
• Food Distribution Program Food security initiative including Farmers to Families box distributions, Easter food distributions, and ongoing food resource coordination through church partners.
• One New Birmingham Pastoral unity initiative bringing together pastors from across Birmingham to foster oneness and Kingdom work through collaborative prayer and relationship building.
• YouthBuild Partnership Partnership program providing construction skills training for low-income youth ages 16-24, combining GED classroom instruction with hands-on construction work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of donations go directly to life-changing programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kids Across America (KAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Urban summer camp program. Tracy has been attending for 33 years. CSM sends youth from Birmingham to this camp, and it's a life-changing experience for participants.
• Redeemer Lutheran Church (Maryland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership. Group from this church in Maryland comes 1-2 times yearly to work on housing projects, construction, and home renovations. They build relationships with homeowners, share Christ's love, and bring youth and adults for service.
• Love Fellowship Christian CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CSM for over 3 years. Pastor Rodney Stanfield leads congregation with vision to 'build and develop a kingdom of empowered people.' Church regularly partners with Covenant Presbyterian, participates in Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas events.
• Mountain Brook Community ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Ms. Andrews to CSM for home renovation assistance through a family from this church.
• Cornerstone Revitalization (Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSM strategic partner church. Awarded grant to create YouthBuild program opportunity in Birmingham for low-income young people age 16-24. Combines GED instruction with hands-on construction training.
• Samford UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTracy teaches a class at Samford University with Dr. Barbara Cartledge. Micah Fellowship students at Samford serve at CSM. Dr. Barbara Cartledge is from Brock School of Business.
• Covenant Presbyterian ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Love Fellowship Christian Center. Congregations enjoy serving together at CSM events and distributions.
• The Star (Pratt City)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church in Pratt City that receives resources and support from CSM.
• Christ Health CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner that serves the community and partners with CSM for resource distribution.
• Greater New BeginningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church that receives resources from CSM for community outreach.
• Rebirth Christian FellowshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church that receives resources from CSM for community outreach.
• Homewood Community ChurchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolunteered to make disaster relief buckets at CSM. Purchased buckets from Lowe's and spent Saturday morning filling them with cleaning supplies, gloves, and handwritten cards.
• Lowe'sminorOthersHome improvement store from which Homewood Community Church purchased buckets for disaster relief bucket project.
• Historic Bethel Baptist ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church with summer camp program. Students visited CSM gardens for field trips and learned about honey bees, planting, and harvesting.
• Dawson Student MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted DiscipleNow events, connected to local schools for MLK DNow weekend service. Students served at Booker T. Washington K-8, A.H. Parker High School, and West End Academy.
• 4.12 Ministry (Grace Community Church)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth ministry of Grace Community Church that served Hemphill Elementary during MLK DNow weekend through CSM connection.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC): Love INC operates a national network of church-based volunteer mobilization hubs that connect local congregations with community needs, the same hub-and-spoke model CSM runs in Birmingham. Both organizations emphasize relational partnerships, volunteer-driven service, and church-centered distribution of resources.
• CityTeam Ministries: CityTeam is a faith-based nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to deliver food, housing repair, and disaster relief through church partnerships. CSM's housing ministry, SWATT volunteer teams, and disaster-relief coordination closely parallel CityTeam's service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities operates a national network of faith-based social service agencies providing food, housing, and emergency assistance. CSM's food distribution, housing repair, and disaster response are functional equivalents within a Protestant church-partner model.
• World Vision U.S. World Vision is a large faith-based humanitarian organization operating food distribution, child sponsorship, and disaster relief programs. CSM operates a smaller-scale version of these services via church-partner distribution.
• Habitat for Humanity (Birmingham): Habitat for Humanity operates a volunteer-driven home repair and construction ministry, including a Birmingham affiliate. CSM's housing ministry (Wells Fargo-funded home repairs, 3-4 days/week construction teams) is a direct functional overlap with Habitat's core model.
• Convoy of Hope: Convoy of Hope is a faith-based nonprofit that runs disaster relief, community outreach, and food distribution programs, often partnering with churches. CSM's disaster-relief bucket program, food distributions, and church-partner outreach align closely with Convoy of Hope's operating model.
• Samaritan's Purse: Samaritan's Purse is a large faith-based humanitarian organization with a U.S. Disaster Relief program that deploys volunteers for home repairs and emergency response. CSM's construction ministry and disaster-relief hub role mirror a localized version of Samaritan's Purse operations.
• Feeding America: Feeding America is the largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief organization, operating a food bank network with affiliated regional partners. CSM's warehouse distribution to 100+ church partners (e.g., Bundles of Hope serving 600+ families weekly) is a localized church-channel food distribution model.

Regional players

• United Way of Central Alabama: United Way of Central Alabama coordinates community resources and volunteers across the Birmingham metro, overlapping with CSM's role as a resource connector. Unlike CSM, United Way operates primarily as a funder and coalition convener rather than direct service provider.

Others

• Christian Community Development Association (CCDA): CCDA is the national membership association that publishes the eight principles of Christian Community Development that CSM explicitly follows. CCDA provides peer learning, conferences, and capacity-building to member organizations like CSM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChristianService.Mission
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChristianServiceMission
• Instagraminstagram.com/csmission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christian-service-mission

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Christian Service Mission