A look at our national membership statistics

[cemab4y]

It is good to have this discussion. We need to offer all of our members, a quality lodge experience. If our meetings are enjoyable, and our rituals spiffy, and our programs interesting, and our meals delicious, we will have men banging on the doors trying to get in.

If our meetings are boring, with nothing except paying the bills, and reading the sick list, we should not be surprised at dwindling attendance.

If being a Mason were an exciting, and stimulating experience, and men could see value in being a Mason, we could turn this problem around.

 

[JJones]

I know it's beating a dead horse, but how do you retain members?

I've done a bit of reading on this and I think retention comes down to a couple key points:

1. It starts in the West. When a candidate is interviewed we need to find out why he wishes to join and what his expectations are. I know of a few brothers who joined for a little bit and eventually left because they didn't know what they were joining. One EA we had left because he thought the lodge was supposed to be like a church! I rant about the West a lot but I really feel strongly about this.

2. Nobody wanted to join a memory club. People don't enjoy sitting around after work and arguing about finances either. We need programs both inside and outside of the lodge room that promote masonic education and foster brotherhood.

There you have it. I'm not saying it's a miracle fix-all or that it will work for every lodge but it's pretty straight forward. Only let people join that you think have realistic expectations and you expect beyond a reasonable doubt to stick with the lodge. Also, if people have fun at lodge then they'll come. Lots of people, after working all day, just want to have fun and relax. If they have two options: lodge or TV then they'll pick whatever they'll enjoy the most. It's just our job to make them turn off their TV.

For the small town Lodges, filling chairs is becoming more difficult, and positions are just being recycled. Being fairly new, it's sad to sit in one of these struggling Lodges. I'm sure it's even harder for the brothers who remembers the Lodge being more full and active.

Sometimes there's really no option but to close our doors or merge with another lodge. Many lodges barely have enough members present to hold stated meetings most the time and a lot of those brothers are only members because they hold dual membership.

Don't get me wrong, I love history and I'm a very sentimental kind of guy, but sometimes people just don't know when it's time to let things go. If a lodge can barely meet, can't contribute anything to the community, and can't get new/young membership then what's the point in staying open?

and our rituals spiffy,

Define spiffy please. Some brothers seem to think a ritual needs to be immaculate and beat themselves up because they failed to do the impossible. The candidate doesn't know when you mess up unless you make it obvious and in many cases they may never know it, even after learning the rituals themselves, unless it was pointed out to them.

 

[cemab4y]

"Spiffy" is the opposite of "sloppy". I visit a lot of lodges (13 states, WashDC, and 5 foreign countries). I cringe when I see an opening ceremony, where the officers flub their lines, or when the officers giggle and chuckle like children. Masonic ceremonies should be performed with seriousness and precision. The lines should be delivered cleanly and crisply ("trippingly" on the tongue- Hamlet).

Masonic ceremony is theater, and should be performed.

Ritual is only one small part of the Masonic experience. But Masonry is more than the sum of its parts. The Masonic experience should be valuable and exciting for all of the participants.

When Masonry loses value, Masonry will lose members. When all the members are gone, Masonry is gone. Gone with the wind.

 

[choppersteve03]

Tuesdays gone with the wind.

 

[jwhoff]

Well, I don't necessarily disagree with the death rate numbers. And ... there is always the chance that the sky is falling.

Let's all hope that The Greatest Generation continues to be the one with the greatest test. I'm not so sure The Next Generation might not be strongly tested as well. Especially if we continue to feel "so entitled."

 

[Mac]

If our meetings are boring, with nothing except paying the bills, and reading the sick list, we should not be surprised at dwindling attendance.

If being a Mason were an exciting, and stimulating experience, and men could see value in being a Mason, we could turn this problem around.

I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. I didn't join the Freemasons to listen to a boring recitation of last week's boring recitation of the minutes ad nauseum. I joined to learn more about myself, about being a man, and about being a better person in the context of a brotherhood.

So long as there long and monotone readings of the minutes, you will find me checking facebook until I hear the motion to accept them as read. Others who don't see the potential of the fraternity, might not even stick around to do that. Why be bored in a chair in a lodge, when you could be just as bored elsewhere?

 

[cemab4y]

Modern technology can help. The minutes of each meeting, should be posted on the lodge website, and/or the facebook page. Printed hard copies can be provided prior to the meeting. Then the lodge can just vote. Determine if there are errors/deletions/additions to the minutes. After any necessary edits, then just vote.