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!

Lodge Elections & Installations

Rifleman1776

Registered User
It seems to me contested elections are a sign of a healthy Lodge. It means you have people who are willing and able to serve. Much better than having to beg people to fill offices. Or, as I have even seen, electing Brothers who never attend Lodge just to technically fill a chair without them even knowing they have been elected. That said, personally, I have no desire to go through the chairs and in more than 35 years never have. I am JS for my Lodge and have been for a number of years. For most meetings that chair has no duties. Due to personal circumstances and health issues I cannot promise 100% attendance and feel it would be wrong to accept an active chair for that reason.
 

The Traveling Man

Registered User
We have installation this coming friday.
In our lodge (I assume in all of the jurisdiction) we move naturally from chair to chair untill WM. Some chairs might be filled with some past masters if there is not enough younger brothers to fill all the chairs.

I'm really excited about the upcoming installation as it is my first installation eaven thou I have been working as a junior steward since september. I'll be moving to junior MC.

We do not have moving lines in my Jurisdictions, or at least it isn't supposed to be that way. Elections/appointments should be based solely on qualifications, and not just because someone has sat in the preceding chair. Although I had filled in for Tiler, Steward, and Junior Deacon once each, my 1st elected office was JW, followed by SW, and now WM. With the exception of myself, this year we had no officers move up, nor did any 2018 officers, other than the Treasurer, Secretary and Chaplain, retain their office for 2019.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
...Elections/appointments should be based solely on qualifications, and not just because someone has sat in the preceding chair. Although I had filled in for Tiler, Steward, and Junior Deacon once each, my 1st elected office was JW, followed by SW, and now WM. With the exception of myself, this year we had no officers move up, nor did any 2018 officers, other than the Treasurer, Secretary and Chaplain, retain their office for 2019.

Hire for attitude and train for skill.

We don't just make appointments about "qualifications" because you will (should) always develop into a role, it is about your ability to attend and try... and your potential to make a positive contribution to the Lodge, not just in the year you are in that office, but beyond.
 

The Traveling Man

Registered User
Hire for attitude and train for skill.

We don't just make appointments about "qualifications" because you will (should) always develop into a role, it is about your ability to attend and try... and your potential to make a positive contribution to the Lodge, not just in the year you are in that office, but beyond.

In a moving line, the idea is to start from the bottom, and eventually become WM. So anyone who gets in the line should be some one that you think should be in the East one day. Past Masters are encouraged to take an office to avoid line jumping and someone being forced to move up who isn't ready. There should be basic requirements before taking an office. If you have missed 8 of the last 12 meetings your chance of becoming an officer is slim. If you have a problem with conduct, or adhering to regulations, you are not fit to be an officer. Throwing someone in a chair and then hoping the grow into it could be hazardous to a Lodge.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
We do not have moving lines in my Jurisdictions, or at least it isn't supposed to be that way. Elections/appointments should be based solely on qualifications, and not just because someone has sat in the preceding chair.
Here we do, pretty much, move through the chairs. The assumption is that the Brother was placed in the line to begin with because he showed willingness and ability to be a good lodge officer. I say "pretty much" because it is not unheard of to stop a Brother's progression if he has not performed well in his present position.
 

Keith C

Registered User
Here we do, pretty much, move through the chairs. The assumption is that the Brother was placed in the line to begin with because he showed willingness and ability to be a good lodge officer. I say "pretty much" because it is not unheard of to stop a Brother's progression if he has not performed well in his present position.

Pretty much the same here. We have had several JDs not progress to SD and fewer SDs not progress to JW. (In fact that is how I got elected JW, the SD at the time had some issues and dropped out of the Lodge entirely, luckily I was able to fulfil the requirements just prior to the deadline for elections last year.) In our District you need to be approved by the DDGM to be on the ballot for JW, and must have attended District Ritual School regularly and be signed off at School by a Senior Instructor as proficient in Business of the Lodge and the EA Degree conferral before being approved. Once in the South it is very unusual to not be in the East 2 years hence.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
We have had several JDs not progress to SD and fewer SDs not progress to JW.
Once in the South it is very unusual to not be in the East 2 years hence.
Same here. Most of the hold ups are JD failing to advance to SD. I once even saw a SD moved back to JD. The Brother had habitually missed lodge meetings without a good, or even reasonable, excuse. Once I saw a JW moved back to SD. In my jurisdiction if you do not have your MM proficiency when assuming the JW chair you have six months in which to do it. This Brother did not and was removed from the position. The six months that he served as JW was a wash....the same as if it had never happened.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
In a moving line, the idea is to start from the bottom, and eventually become WM. So anyone who gets in the line should be some one that you think should be in the East one day. Past Masters are encouraged to take an office to avoid line jumping and someone being forced to move up who isn't ready. There should be basic requirements before taking an office. If you have missed 8 of the last 12 meetings your chance of becoming an officer is slim. If you have a problem with conduct, or adhering to regulations, you are not fit to be an officer. Throwing someone in a chair and then hoping the grow into it could be hazardous to a Lodge.

This is basically how we do it as well, but if you missed 8 of 12 meetings, "slim" would be optimistic, but I think we have a different risk appetite.

.... Throwing someone in a chair and then hoping the grow into it could be hazardous to a Lodge.

Having someone in a Chair who does not grow is much more hazardous and if true of all officers, your lodge is doomed.
Not being willing to take a risk on someone is also hazardous.
Having no tolerance for failure is hazardous.

I can tell you, by far the people I have seen grow the most in a Lodges occupy a single position - WM -what position presents more risk or opportunity for a Lodge ? We're all thrown into that position and hope we'll grow into it and meet its challenges.. and if your not doing that, you're not doing it right..
 

The Traveling Man

Registered User
This is basically how we do it as well, but if you missed 8 of 12 meetings, "slim" would be optimistic, but I think we have a different risk appetite.



Having someone in a Chair who does not grow is much more hazardous and if true of all officers, your lodge is doomed.
Not being willing to take a risk on someone is also hazardous.
Having no tolerance for failure is hazardous.

I can tell you, by far the people I have seen grow the most in a Lodges occupy a single position - WM -what position presents more risk or opportunity for a Lodge ? We're all thrown into that position and hope we'll grow into it and meet its challenges.. and if your not doing that, you're not doing it right..
We don't throw anyone into a Chair. We want the new Brothers to take time to learn Masonry before putting them to work. The best way to learn is by observation. It's like a business, If you and I both apply for a CEO position, and I have 10 years of experience running a successful company, and you have 0 years of experience, the company isn't going to take a chance with you, and risk failure just to "give you a shot". They'd hire me, and if you received a lower position with the same company, maybe I could take you under my wings and give you some needed experience. That is how we view it in my Lodge.
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
I’m a member of small lodges that can have a chair upheaval with the loss of one good officer. I saw it happen with the tragic passing of an incredible man who was in the West. It took a number of years to put the line to rights again. Just not enough people who were ready (this guy included).
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
We don't throw anyone into a Chair. We want the new Brothers to take time to learn Masonry before putting them to work. The best way to learn is by observation.
I agree, but on the job experience is good too. If a new Brother is interested in the officer line then we will start him out as Junior Steward. As he works his way upward he learns as he goes by experience, observance and the guidance of the Past Masters of the lodge. The vast majority are ready to lead the lodge by the time that they get to the East.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
We don't throw anyone into a Chair. We want the new Brothers to take time to learn Masonry before putting them to work. The best way to learn is by observation. It's like a business, If you and I both apply for a CEO position, and I have 10 years of experience running a successful company, and you have 0 years of experience, the company isn't going to take a chance with you, and risk failure just to "give you a shot". They'd hire me, and if you received a lower position with the same company, maybe I could take you under my wings and give you some needed experience. That is how we view it in my Lodge.
We have a different approach - we use the occupation of an office to train people in that office.
In our line
WM - was a MM before being installed
SW is a MM
JW is a MM
SD is a MM
JD is a MM
IG is a MM, but shared this year between two MMs, the installed IG will proceed on, if he does not attend, his sub will move to JD
Sec = PM
Chaplain = PM
Tres = MM who has no interest on becoming WM and is an accountant.
DC is a PM, you need to be to do the job

Are all your progressive officers MMs ? We have the approach that a MM should always be given precedence over a PM unless the MM has proved unreliable.

Our membership is 44 men it takes not less than a year to become a MM at the average at our lodge is 1.5 years, and you will not get your next degree, esp MM if you have not been a regular attender or have a good reason for not being there... average age at our lodge is 54 years of age.
 

The Traveling Man

Registered User
We have a different approach - we use the occupation of an office to train people in that office.
In our line
WM - was a MM before being installed
SW is a MM
JW is a MM
SD is a MM
JD is a MM
IG is a MM, but shared this year between two MMs, the installed IG will proceed on, if he does not attend, his sub will move to JD
Sec = PM
Chaplain = PM
Tres = MM who has no interest on becoming WM and is an accountant.
DC is a PM, you need to be to do the job

Are all your progressive officers MMs ? We have the approach that a MM should always be given precedence over a PM unless the MM has proved unreliable.

Our membership is 44 men it takes not less than a year to become a MM at the average at our lodge is 1.5 years, and you will not get your next degree, esp MM if you have not been a regular attender or have a good reason for not being there... average age at our lodge is 54 years of age.
In my Jurisdiction you must be a MM in order to be installed in any chair, so yes they all are MMs. All of our officers for 2019, with the exception of the Treasurer and Stewards, are PMs.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
In my Jurisdiction you must be a MM in order to be installed in any chair, so yes they all are MMs. All of our officers for 2019, with the exception of the Treasurer and Stewards, are PMs.
Here, you must be a MM of at least 12 months here to hold office other than Steward - who have no ceremonial role here.... . You cannot be made a MM for less than 12 months after being initiated, hence to take the first progressive office, you will have at least been initiated 24 months prior to taking that office.

"All of our officers for 2019, with the exception of the Treasurer and Stewards, are PMs."
I assume that is not a typo ?
Having that many PMs in office is seen as a disaster here. To sustain the lodge - we need progressive training and succession, and if the PMs are being rotated through the chairs, that does not create succession - hence our keen appetite to take a chance on MMs in office - but those offices are progressive, so the MM in SW has been IG, JD, SD, JW and hence should not be in over his head. We have several common risk points in the progressive line;
A new IG - understanding his job and attendance
A new JD - he is on a learning curve
A potential JW - in taking the Warden you are generally seen as in the final stages of gearing up for Mastership.
SW - a last minute change of circumstance can see him pull out - that's where our PMs often get a look in.

Brother - I have seen many Warrants go in for many reasons - but a classic one is recycling PMs and the exclusion or absence of MMs - does that not worry you ? And if not, I would be interested to hear why and the thinking underpinning your comfort ?

Thanks Bro
 
Top