DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT - Thoughts on increasing Lodge Attendance
by
Jordan S. Levitan, P.M.
Norfolk Lodge No. 1
from the February 1987 Short Talk Bulletin
of the Masonic Service Association
At a gathering of Worshipful Masters, inevitably one
will ask, "How's your attendance holding up?" It is, for
the most part a rhetorical question.
The intent of this paper is to show that substantial
increases in attendance are possible provided the Master
dares to be different. This does not imply the need to
experiment with so called "up-to-date" methodology. On the
contrary, it requires stimulating those members we already
have as well as those who will be voluntarily attracted into
our midst with pure and unimpaired Freemasonry. The sooner
we stop blaming poor attendance on the failure of the Craft
to modernize, the better.
The last substantial influx of new members into
Freemasonry occurred over forty years ago. Since then, many
reasons have been suggested for the decrease in attendance.
Members have moved away from the metropolitan area
lodges. Once in suburbia they become accustomed to more
leisure time, more holidays, and longer vacations. Some
turn to service clubs, where the results of their
participation may be more apparent. Others find that civic
responsibilities take up their evening hours.
Family ties now take precedence over fraternal ties.
For some, longer work hours and the pressure of doing
business at night are contributing factors.
The majority, however, do not attend simply because
they choose not to attend. They are bored to tears with
business meetings. Those who are not ritualists find little
inspiration sitting on the sidelines listening to the same
brethren perform the degree work and give the lectures time
after time. Their contentions are real and can not be
brushed aside.
We live in an achievement oriented society that views
ambiguous programs with skepticism. Mediocrity no longer
suffices. It's time Masonic leaders stopped saying
"something should be done " and begin saying "I'm going to
do something about it."
The call to the Master is the same today as it was when
the candidates petitioned in droves: to create an atmosphere
for intellectual and spiritual growth so that the members
know from experience they are missing something by not
attending lodge.
Merely to suggest programs that others find helpful is
only part of the answer. What may work for one lodge may
not necessarily work for another. Symbolic Lodge Masonry
cries out for an enlightened membership responsive to the
Master who carefully lays his designs upon the trestleboard.
The approach, therefore, includes preparing the members as
well as the Master. There are no shortcuts.
THE CANDIDATE
The Lodge Investigating Committee
The Masonic life of the prospective candidate begins
with the Lodge Investigating Committee. A committee that
consists of one Past Master, one line officer, and one
member at large represents a cross section of the lodge.
The Master who dispatches the committee to the
candidate's home with clearly defined directives takes the
first step in laying a solid and dependable foundation.
In its visit with the petitioner and his family, the
committee should emphasize what Freemasonry is and what it
is not. Their discussion should include the following:
1. The purpose of our Ancient Order is to build temples in
the hearts of men;
2. The pursuit of excellence is one of
Freemasonry's noblest aims;
3. Freemasonry is religious in
nature, but it has no creed or theology, and it is not
incompatible with one's religious beliefs;
4. Freemasonry
has an obligation to the community, but it is not a service
club;
5. Freemasonry stands for citizenship of the highest
caliber, but it does not engage in political activity;
6.
Freemasonry emphasizes one's obligations to assist the
needy, but it is not a welfare organization;
7. Freemasonry
is not a benevolent society providing insurance benefits; a
Mason must make proper provisions for the protection of his
family in the event of illness or death.
These and many other points are proper for the Lodge
Investigating Committee to discuss with the petitioner and
his family. This approach enables the petitioner to gain a
better understanding of our principles and purpose, and the
lodge can better judge his motives for seeking membership.
Degree Work
Few candidates arrive totally prepared for the ordeal
of initiation. Even fewer receive a kindly briefing in the
preparation room. Whatever fears the candidate might have
should be put to rest at the outset.
Initiation requires a sense of reverence. It should be
impressed upon the candidate that he is about to enter a
solemn and dignified ceremony. Degrees must then be
performed with a like measure of dignity. Anything less
raises doubts in the candidate's mind about the worth of the
experience.
The best way of assuring that new members return is to
not only confer the degrees, but to also make Masons.
Through its appropriate committee, every Grand Lodge
determines the procedure for conferring degrees. The
symbolic Lodge, however, makes Masons at its own pace.
There is a distinction. And we should always remember that
a Master Mason cannot be made in three easy lessons. It
takes time.
To the average candidate, the philosophical depth of
the ritual is overwhelming. He hears a set of references
that he has never heard before and phraseology he does not
use in daily conversation. We then compound matters by
delivering the lectures immediately upon conferring the
degrees.
Clearly we have no reason to congratulate ourselves
when a candidate rapidly memorizes the catechisms and
receives his dues card four weeks after initiation. So why
not slow down the process. Dare to be different.
The Masonic Service Association is an invaluable source
for information to complement the degrees. An index of
current publications is available for the asking. The
candidate who receives good and wholesome instruction at a
leisurely, informal pace away from the lodge room is likely
to become an enthusiastic member who returns frequently.
There is an old Chinese proverb that if you are
planning for one year, plant grain. If you are planning for
ten years, plant trees. If you are planning for a hundred
years, plant men.
THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER
Knowledge Beyond Ritual
Grand Lodges appoint instructors at all levels to teach
Masonic ritual. Few Masters, however, receive training in
how to conduct lodge meetings. Little is done to assure
that the incoming Master has a grasp of the history,
philosophy and symbolism of the Craft. The fundamentals of
lodge management and good programming are rarely talked
about in detail. For these. lodge officers are left to
educate themselves. Many never do. Others start too late.
Prior to setting his designs on the trestleboard, the
future Master would do well to spend at least two years
becoming a knowledgeable Freemason. This is not to suggest
that he must become a Masonic scholar, only that he become
familiar with the writings of learned brethren-Joseph Fort
Newton, Thomas Sherrod Roy, H.L. Haywood, Albert Mackey,
Robert Gould, Roscoe Pound, Dwight Smith, Alphonse Cerza,
Harry Carr, Conrad Hahn, and Carl Claudy among others.
The Grand Lodge library is an excellent source for
material, as is the Masonic Service Association. There are,
in addition, outstanding Masonic publications in the United
States. One is The Indiana Freemason, which features
articles on contemporary Masonic thought as well as essays
by distinguished Masonic writers of the past. Membership in
the Correspondence Circle of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No.
2076, London, England, the premier Masonic research lodge in
the world, is recommended.
The Master who acquires a background in the history,
philosophy, and symbolism of the Craft understands the
mission of Freemasonry. Lodge attendance will reflect the
extent of his preparation.
Setting the Craft to Work
Setting the Craft to work implies more than initiating,
passing, and raising candidates. It implies that the lodge
is a dynamic rather that a static entity. The Master should
encourage each member to take part in the activity suited to
his character or abilities and to make sure there is an
activity in which he can participate.
In one particular lodge, a member rarely set foot in
the lodge room for almost twenty years. A Past Master
remembered that the brother spent his leisure hours
interviewing applicants for admission to a major university.
The lodge wanted to start a scholarship program for needy
and deserving students, so the Past Master asked the brother
for assistance. The rest is history. The scholarship
program has been a major commitment of the lodge for fifteen
years and the brother later served the lodge as Master.
Brethren involved in something they like to do value
their membership and return frequently. For those who like
to putter around the kitchen, help is always needed on the
Refreshment Committee. For those handy with axe, hammer,
and saw, there is wood to be chopped or a fence that needs
mending at the home of an infirm brother or Masonic widow.
The lodge publication requires the assistance of brethren
with writing skills. For brethren with experience in fund
raising, help is needed on the lodge Charity Fund or Masonic
Home appeal.
We cannot expect brethren to return to lodge week after
week, month after month, if not given a specific
responsibility. With nothing to do, sooner or later they
tire of sitting on the brow of the hill and before we know
it, stop attending altogether.
Programs
The composition and character of the lodge are
determining factors in the selection of programs. Masonry
teaches that men of every sect and opinion meet on the
level. We aim for common objectives among men with
dissimilar backgrounds. The Master who combines programs of
Masonic interest with fellowship and establishes a continued
line of communication with his lodge will sustain interest
and induce attendance.
Most Worshipful Dwight L. Smith, Past Grand Master of
Masons in Indiana, in his widely acclaimed essays "Whither
Are We Traveling?", suggests that Masonry should be a
social, cultural, and intellectual experience. A balance of
all three elements is the Master's objective in setting his
designs in the trestleboard.
Programs for a typical year might include patriotic
observances, Ladies' Might, Past Master's Night, Founder's
Day Observance, Youth Night, Father and Son Banquet, lodge
picnic, Mother's Day Breakfast, and Masonic plays.
By the time he becomes a Senior Warden, a line officer
should have assembled sufficient material to begin looking
around for brethren to present papers on selected topics.
Masonic book reviews should also be considered.
The distinguished Masonic scholar, Most Worshipful
Conrad Hahn, observed "...the lack of educational work in
the average lodge is the principal reason for the lack of
interest and the consequent poor attendance in Masonry over
which spokesmen have been wringing their hands for at least
a century."
The educational meeting is for enlightenment and
fellowship. Lodge business is not discussed. Ample time
should be allowed for those present to ask questions and
make comments. Meetings of this type usually last one hour
and often the discussion continues in the dining room at
refreshment. A well balanced program of Masonic education
includes films, video tapes, and slide presentations, some
of which are available through MSA or the Grand Lodge.
The Meeting
Ask those who at one time regularly attended why they
stopped and the most frequent reply is, "The meetings are
boring and much too long. If the Master doesn't put me to
sleep, the Secretary does."
Not all Masters are comfortable in the role of
presiding officer. However, there are steps the Master can
take which minimizes the anxiety of sitting in the East.
One is to smile from within. A lodge senses devotion
and understanding from the Master.
Another is to control the meeting. The Master who
looks to the sidelines for a Past Master to tell him every
move to make does not have control.
Nor should the meeting come unraveled at the
Secretary's desk. Most correspondence read word for word
can be summarized, including communications from the Grand
Lodge. Usually, whispering good counsel in the Secretary's
ear gets the point across without creating an adverse
relationship.
Interminable introductions are the downfall of many
meetings, particularly when Masonic dignitaries are present.
By the time for the main event, the members are worn out
from jumping up and down to salute each group the Master
paraded to the East.
One innovative Master said, "Enough!" Laying aside the
manual of ceremonies, he announced, "Brethren, tonight we
are honored to have as our guest speaker a distinguished
Freemason. In addition, we have with us two Past Grand
Masters and several Grand Lodge officers. In order that you
will have an opportunity to meet our visitors, we will
dispense with the usual procedure for presentations and
salute you in a manner we trust is worthy of your high
office."
Instead of appointing committees to present four
separate groups of dignitaries in the East with accompanying
salutes and responses, the Master introduced at their seats
Past Grand Masters, Grand Lodge officers, District Deputy
Grand Masters, and Worshipful Masters. Other groups were
recognized at their seats without individual introductions.
A forty minute procedure was reduced to ten minutes, and the
lodge enjoyed the extra time at refreshment following the
meeting. It came as no surprise when the Master received an
overwhelming endorsement for the way he handled the
introduction.
The festive board is an ideal way to divide a long
meeting. When there is an unusual amount of business to
come before the lodge in addition to the program, the Master
would be well advised to start the meeting one hour early,
take care of lodge business, call off for dinner, and return
for the program. Those who want to come for the business
portion will be present, and no one complains about having
to sit through an overly long meeting.
Some lodges guard against lengthy meetings by convening
two stated meetings by each month the first to conduct
lodge business and the second for a program.
CONCLUSION
Good attendance is the natural result of stimulated
interest. Stimulated interest is the natural result of
preparation, planning and execution.
First, the Candidate must be prepared to receive the
benefits of Freemasonry.
Second, the Master must be prepared to execute a year
by planning intelligently, communicating effectively, and
conducting meetings with dispatch, dignity, and diligence.
Continuity among line officers is required to sustain
an increase in attendance. Nothing kills momentum quicker
than the failure to follow an up-tempo year with another
up-tempo year. Regenerated enthusiasm becomes contagious.
Word spreads about the enjoyment of returning to lodge.
Increased attendance feeds on itself. And Freemasonry's
light burns brighter because the Master dared to be
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