Stockade provides men with the tools needed to start building godly men with boys aged 8-11. Boys are discipled toward Christ and biblical manhood through a comprehensive process of life skills, physical and mental activities, fun, service, achievement, Bible memory, and stories. Adult Christian men serve as role models and demonstrate Christian manhood in action.
Stockade has shown its ability to effectively assist a church in building dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ at an early age!
A Typical Stockade Evening:
Below you can see a typical Stockade evening. Keep in mind that each Stockade is broken up into smaller groups called Posts consisting of between 4 to 8 boys and enough men to provide proper oversight and instruction. Some components of the weekly meeting are done as a large group all together and some are done as posts.
Check-In Games (15 minutes)
As the boys arrive, leaders welcome them and get them involved in informal activities or games by posts (small groups). During this time the men call the individual boys and check achievements. This provides a flexible starting time; a structured yet informal beginning offers opportunities for men to welcome boys and give attention to individuals. The Post Leaders build relationships with the boys in their posts.
Build The Stockade (5 minutes)
Share announcements, prayer, and information related to the meeting. Build group spirit. Quickly organize your group and establish control. Build respect for each other. Provides a transition to games.
Games (20 minutes)
Engage boys in physical activity, usually a strong drawing point. This allows boys to expend energy and relationships to be built. Game suggestions are provided to leaders in the weekly curriculum as well as an simple list of equipment for easy preparation.
Post Time (25 minutes)
Focus on an achievement-related group activity by posts (small group). Activities related to the skill and spiritual emphasis of the module are always provided to leaders in the weekly curriculum as well as an easy to use list of materials for easy preparation. Activities may involve a craft project, science experiment, Bible story, or other activity. This includes scripture memory integrated into the module being worked through by the group (i.e. Flight and Faith, Bikes, Boards and Buddies, etc). Group achievement motivates individual achievement. Learning and exploring together is fun and provides common experiences. Focus on building the group and establishing friendships with boys.
Drive It Home (5 minutes)
This time helps the boys apply the theme of the meeting to their lives. It also helps them to understand that they can and should follow through on what the Bible teaches. CSB focuses not simply on learning the Bible but on helping the boy apply what he has learned through teaching and through modeling.
Recognize Achievement (5 minutes)
We use Stockade Honors as a special time to present awards that boys have earned. This helps motivate boys toward greater accomplishments by acknowledging them properly and promptly, presenting the awards they have earned in front of the entire stockade.
Story Circle (10 minutes)
We tell a story at the end of the meeting to grab a boy’s attention, giving them an illustration of what they can do about what they have learned. The story encourages spiritual growth and Christian character development. This can be an opportune time to invite a guest speaker such as a missionary, expert in the interest area the Stockade is exploring at the time, or a pastor. Often this is a time in which the gospel can be explicitly presented. Boys hear from men that they admire and respect.
Application (5 minutes)
This part of the weekly meeting leaves boys with concrete ways to apply what they’ve heard in the story and about the general theme being emphasized. This reinforces the target of the meeting right before the boys go home.
Leaders Huddle (10 minutes)
This vital component of each weekly meeting allows the men to discuss the meeting and to pray for any needs, plan for next week, and builds leadership teamwork and communication.