My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Degree Teams

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
Do other lodges have success with an established degree team for your lodge? How do y'all do it? Looking for ideas. We have put ourselves in a position as a lodge to where we can barely support a degree. It is frustrating when you set practice nights and no one shows or they don't show up to practice but drink coffee and chat. Or they only want one certain day of the week. We have our secretary that can do it all, but we rely on him to heavily in my opinion. We have to help him out. We meet once a month and that is not enough to practice anything enough to be proficient at it. I am at multiple lodges and can practice at another lodge but that does not improve the lodge in question. Any help would be awesome!


Sent from my iPad using My Freemasonry Pro
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Hi

We meet once a month as well (both Craft lodges I am in do that). We used our installed officers with properly prepared PMs & MMs delivering charges in a culture of progression where no one "owns a charge". The focus for a degree is on two things in this order
1 - giving the best experience to the candidate we can by delivering ritual and floor work to the highest standard
2 - developing lodge members while doing the above.

Obviously, if we wanted to deliver the best possible ritual, we would used a team of fixed experts - but that does not develop the future generation and that's core to sustaining Freemasonry and lodges.

We create a culture where the first point by constantly repeating it... even new guys will tell you "its all about the candidate" and work hard to deliver the best ritual we can. What Freemasons need to realise is everyone in the room is always learning - if you deliver poor ritual and footwork - then that's what you are teaching. Despite these high standards, they are achieved in an environment of learning and encouragement where correction is not taken personally but in the context of continual improvement. I would say that is not unique to those lodges - even GL officers have slipped up beside me at Installation (at dinner) and made suggestions. One things which is critical, which is unless it is a huge mistake (making a material difference to the degree) then any correction is done after - nothing worse than heaps of corrections - it undermines the first goal above.

If there is one thing I know - good ritual breeds good ritual.. and guys often want to do the best they can and will follow good examples. If that is not going to happen (and dont expect to create the above culture over night - it has taken me years) then you probably have the wrong officers. One good way is to take your officers visiting to a lodge who you know is top standard - they often dont realise how bad they do it until they see it done properly, or see if your GL has an except team and get them in, People often marvel and my ritual. I got dumped in the WM's chair this year for a second on 15 min notice. At the end I said the truth - I am not good a ritual, but I understand to do ritual it takes work, so I am always revising when out walking or at a red light... try to keep it fresh because when you are mentoring or placed in a situation I was - know your stuff allows you to act at teacher to the next generation..
 
Last edited:

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
Do other lodges have success with an established degree team for your lodge? How do y'all do it? Looking for ideas. We have put ourselves in a position as a lodge to where we can barely support a degree. It is frustrating when you set practice nights and no one shows or they don't show up to practice but drink coffee and chat. Or they only want one certain day of the week. We have our secretary that can do it all, but we rely on him to heavily in my opinion. We have to help him out. We meet once a month and that is not enough to practice anything enough to be proficient at it. I am at multiple lodges and can practice at another lodge but that does not improve the lodge in question. Any help would be awesome!


Sent from my iPad using My Freemasonry Pro
I get that the world is fast and memory work is tough to find time for. Being an officer requires you to make certain commitments. You cannot just coast through the line and get the purple apron. In years past, before my time, I was told that if you did not do the MCL as a sitting Senior Deacon, you had a Past Master run against you for the South. I don't know how true those stories are as we've never had a repeat Master since our lodge was chartered in 1881 but that is a pretty serious threat to be made.

Nowadays we rely too much on one man to do the Lectures. I'm about to be installed as a Junior Deacon and I have started working on the MCL. The SD for next year has also started on the MCL. If he does the lecture, it will be the first time in over ten years that a sitting SD has done the work. I was hoping it would fall on me in 2018 but I think my senior is going to get it done before me and good for him.

This is not something that can be healed overnight. The lodge needs new blood and incoming masters to get them involved. Men who are involved early reciprocate by contributing back to the lodge. The guidelines for being an officer should be strict, but revolve around having fun.

My question is, what is the attendance like? Is there any incentive to do good work?

I know that in our past MM degrees, our district had to pull together to get 12 craftsmen. Not because we couldn't muster the men up in our own lodges, but getting 12 guys out that are not officers to a rehearsal was a pita this past year.
 
Last edited:

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
Well attendance isn't the greatest. Last month we had everyone in a chair so we could open an ea. My opinion now is that there are only a few that stay motivated. Some just do the minimum. I will not sit here and say that I have not had highs and lows in masonry, cause I have. We have had a couple of good brothers on the east the last few years that don't put the time in for ritual and cannot make decisions for the lodge. This hurts us.


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Well attendance isn't the greatest. Last month we had everyone in a chair so we could open an ea. My opinion now is that there are only a few that stay motivated. Some just do the minimum. I will not sit here and say that I have not had highs and lows in masonry, cause I have. We have had a couple of good brothers on the east the last few years that don't put the time in for ritual and cannot make decisions for the lodge. This hurts us.


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry

Ever heard of "nudge theory" ? yep, it's a real thing and in the UK the government even has what's sometimes called " the nudge dept". The idea is by using the right carefuly considered and choosen language to influence (nudge) people in a certain direction.. constant statements "it's all about the candidate" are a better way to nudge than " our ritual is crap".

We have a ritual learning plan. It lists all the charges, then who knows them in categories "primary " "backup" which is who's doing it in degrees atm then " knows" with a pool which much be ready to deliver at short notice, the "learning now" "learning in 3 month" "leaving in 6-12 months"...... i started it in my mother lodge when guys were getting old and no one was learning ritual - gave it to 2 DCs over two years who did nothing.... i became ADC with one goal - to sort that list out... it's kept us operational but at my other lodge it's been embraced as a study plan for new guys where they can learn different charges and hence get a chance to deliver them rather than have a list of charges you work through which gets more complex.... there is normally 2-3 small charges in each degree which we try to split between new guys.... it's a real shot in the arm to see multiple MMs of less than 12 months hitting home runs in charges in the one degree. My point, it's all part of a slow process with tools to nudge your way over time to success.

We were out to lunch recently and asked bros what Freemasons do, one super experienced bro in 20+ orders responded "we build teams and in them masons grow"..... even if it's fixing widow's fences, in many important ways he's spot one....

To solve your problem built a team just like you would a baseball team.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
My Texas and California lodges do the degrees mostly with officers in the line plus as few substitutions as needed.

Both of my Illinois lodges have degree team lists. Each Brother usually appears in several places per degree as we usually have learned many stations and practice a few. This allows the officers to focus on volunteering on events and doing lodge administrative duties.

The two plan types work about equally well.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
@Bloke im kinda confused and i think its just a matter of vernacular.....in both my jurisdictions there are only 3 charges total...given at the end of each degree. U speak of multiple charges in each degree. Are u referring to things like the apron lecture, circumambulations ect as charges?

Sent from my LG-H811 using My Freemasonry mobile app
 

acjohnson53

Registered User
In the past when I was stationed in Europe, our degree team met with new candidates every Tuesday for study hall. But the WM would assign Brothers to teams, for instance a new class he would assign 3 Brothers to be at their disposal for a new class, it was successful we had a raising every 3 months. A big raising at the end of the year before elections (Normally on a Saturday) no had an excuse to why they weren't there...
 

Bloke

Premium Member
@Bloke im kinda confused and i think its just a matter of vernacular.....in both my jurisdictions there are only 3 charges total...given at the end of each degree. U speak of multiple charges in each degree. Are u referring to things like the apron lecture, circumambulations ect as charges?

Sent from my LG-H811 using My Freemasonry mobile app

I would be referring to what you call the "apron lecture" when I say "charge". Here, we technically have only two charges which are actually called "lectures". These are the first and then second degree "tracing board lectures" done in each of those degrees. All others , and indeed those two lectures are referred to as "charges". They catch things like the "added remarks" after the SW invests a bro with his apron, a "charity charge" in the first degree etc etc. The words allocated to officers, such as investing a candidate with an apron (always done by SW), and words said by deacons when presenting or instucting candidates are just referred to as the work of that office, hence "Senior deacon's work" or "junior warden's work" etc. Obligations fall in as part of "the master's work". Obligations are not generally referred to as charges but "obligations".

There are small and large charges. Some can be done by MMs but some, like teaching the secrets must be done by Past Masters. Charges are a good way to get newer MMs involved in ritual.
 

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
My Texas and California lodges do the degrees mostly with officers in the line plus as few substitutions as needed.

Both of my Illinois lodges have degree team lists. Each Brother usually appears in several places per degree as we usually have learned many stations and practice a few. This allows the officers to focus on volunteering on events and doing lodge administrative duties.

The two plan types work about equally well.
We are expected as officers to perform the work as outlined in the ritual. If you're a sitting deacon, you do the work of your chair. The only one who can delegate his parts is the master. He can do the work of his chair or cause it to be done. Usually that would be the working tools, apron presentation or charges after the lectures.

The only time we have "degree teams" do a degree would be if we had a Gold Collar, Blue and Gold (state police) Kilties or a Past Master degree and even then, it is only the 2nd Section of the Master Mason degree.
 

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
Well we practiced a fellowcraft last night. While I can say I have a lot to practice, we made some good strides last night. We had 6 of us show up to practice. While that doesn't sound like a lot, it is for us. I am going to confer this one, which is a growing experience for me. I have to really slow down. I think I learned all my work in fast forward mode when I came through the degrees. It's there just in chipmunk......lol


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
 

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
I also had to teach myself to speak more slowly- remember, the degree is for the candidate. If he can't keep up, he'll be lost.

Yes, I have been working on it in my head, when practicing out loud, and in floor school. Saying most of it in pieces, like when you are saying obligation. Slow enough for someone to repeat it back to you. It is getting better. I worked on it pretty regular and then life started happening. I am now getting back in the fold as much as I can. With that said, I have to practice alot cause I forgot as much as I learned.


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I have to really slow down. I think I learned all my work in fast forward mode when I came through the degrees. It's there just in chipmunk......lol

We have all experienced exactly that. You think you are going half speed but the candidate blinks because it's just a buzz to him. At the altar I hardly got that I was being taught syllables and letters and stuff. It wasn't until I met with my candidate's coach that I actually heard and learned the details.

Slow. Down. To. One. Quarter. Speed. And. You. Will. Still. Be. Too. Fast.

Especially at the altar teaching the parts after the obligation the slower the better. The two teaching the exchange, quietly count to yourself. Letter. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Respond. This is so hard to do in the moment.
 

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
We have been doing better practicing as a team....I feel our little lodge is making good strides into becoming more respectable on ritual...lol
ca221ab49bc46ba60460367494290993.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
 
Top