Friday, May 27, 2016

Give me purpose


There’s been numerous articles about brother masons falling absent and new masons completing there ascent to master mason but then fading off into the distance hardly to been seen again. Why is this reoccurring issue happening? The F.S. Team visited various lodges, some of which having  great retention and others less then optimistic. There were a few things that stood out amongst the lodges that are flourishing and we want to share them with our brother lodges!

1.       When a candidate is accomplishing the necessary requirements to ensure he has two master masons that he has become closely acquainted with to sign their petition, remember that the anticipation of initiation is literally oozing from his pours.  That being said, what are the brothers of the lodge doing to get to know this brother? We know you’ve heard this before but frankly, shaking a man’s hand and discovering his name only to forget it 3 mins. Later is not getting to know him. Ask questions, if need be, have the lodge discuss and put together a repertoire of questions to ask that probe his intentions, expectations and desires for his masonic life. Have intellectual discussions or focused discussions on the work that will be necessary to be part of and imperative to the lodge. Inform and reaffirm that this is a life long fraternal membership. Give a reason to come to lodge for a purpose.

2.       To our veteran brethren, we know you’ve put the work in, the years in and the time in but new candidates, E.A.-M.M., all look up to you and as such your character and actions are being watching, calculated and mirrored. This means, that when officers feel that they don’t need to assist the stewards wash the dishes or never help clean the lodge or show up for events. Every action that the veteran master masons does is a banner as to who you can act when you’re an officer or been around a while. They’ve taken the step to become a better man but look to leadership and mentorship when needed. The lodge should at all times be an educational institution. This also builds value, reasons and purpose to return to lodge.

3.       Take a good look at your candidate education program… don’t have one? Get one.  The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Mason in Arizona (azmasons.org) has made mandatory and  provided a masonic educational packet for both the mentor and candidate. If the mentor was to blindly follow the directions, it would still provide ammunition to think and reflect on the degrees and their lessons. This does a few things:

a.       Make the candidate think for himself about the degree.

b.      Make the mentor think for himself about the degrees.

c.       Remind both that there are plenty of things that can be studied far after you have been raised to the sublime degree of master mason.

Train your members how to be a mentor and let them see first hand the works of a good mentor, an internship of sorts. It’s our purpose to create good masons and ignite the gentle flame of interest, curiosity and inspiration. This will give them a reason to come back to lodge.

4.       Give them a Job! After the master mason has been found proficient in his master mason catechism, simply ask how he can assist the lodge.  He can begin his ascent into the lodge line of officers, join one of the many lodge committee’s, be in charge of the library audit etc… the point is that we must give our brethren something to do, give them a purpose and job within the lodge. If you don’t then why are they showing up? The minuets only strike awe the first time hearing them. That’s not to say that they’re not an important administrative tool for the fraternity but we must give purpose.

5.       DO NOT approbate bare minimum! Every state is sovereign and have their rules and regulations as to the bare minimum requirements needed to reach par regarding a candidate’s proficiency. Let me be candid… If you proceed to give bare minimum then you will procure bare minimum. Obviously, the Worshipful Master of the lodge has the discretion to make exception when he deems necessary but this should only be done on a case by case basis. Teach, memorize and make it tradition to learn the full catechism. We preach that, “you get what you put into the fraternity”. The same is said to the amount of effort administered to the potential and voted candidates.

Try these techniques and if you do, do them whole heartedly. They will give purpose to your lodge and its members. Experiment to see what works best for the dynamic of your lodge.  There will also be men that will leave once they find out that membership must be earned and is not handed out to just  anyone who knocks on the door of masonry but we’re not looking for potential members that don’t have the ambition to work anyways. We are a fraternity of workmen, doing the work of a mason everyday, day in and day out. If you’ve found something that works, we’d love to hear it. You can comment below or Facebook us at facebook.com/freemasonrysquared you can also find us on Google+, or even on YouTube just search Freemasonry Squared!

2 comments:

  1. In a lodge that has many of the problems described, I believe these tactics could work if properly installed. Thanks for the ideas and travel light!

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