Why do people leave/ become inactive?

[Rob427W]

I asked to be on the ritual and advisory board for this year.

We discuss more on the porch of the lodge after a meeting than we do during a meeting.

The more I speak about masonry outside of lodge the more I discover that it is not about putting on an apron and sitting in a room.

It is about the interactions with your Brethren outside of a stated meeting that makes masonry work for the individual. You have to find those who love talking about the Craft. Grab on and get as much as you can out of them. Everything you need to start out as a MM is in your rituals. Learn them for your foundation and go from there.

Yes, it is nice to meet everyone and socialize before and after a meeting but it should not stop there. Those interactions should happen more than once or twice a month.

I'm not saying you should dump your life long non mason friends but you should make it a point to have a beer with those you fit in with the best to keep those ties tight.

That is the issue today though. Our lives are so hectic and fast that I have to put my masonic schedules on my Google calendar and sync it to my wife's account so she knows the five W's for the month. Getting out for socialization outside of stated meetings is tough.

Look at us here and now. We use a forum to communicate and seek out each other. Some of us post on multiple masonic forums for that connection because we do not have what our fathers and grandfathers had...Time...

How many Masons here find that they use this and other forums to try to fill the gaps that you seem to be left with from your own lodge?

I'm not embarrassed to say I'm one of those Masons.

I am certainly one of them. The lodge where I am a FC at is rather social in nature, and likely not willing to hear about the educational, let alone the esoteric, aspects of Masonry. I don't think it will be that way for a very long time, if ever.

It is high on ladder of possibilities that my wife and I will move back to Central PA within the next year or two. When we move, I'd like to find a lodge that is very interested in Masonic Education.

 

[Browncoat]

As the newest member of my Lodge (currently FC), it's very easy to tell already who the doers are. The ones who serve in chairs year after year...the ones who help organize the pancake breakfasts...the few who seem eager and willing to help me advance. We have around 200 members because we absorbed another Lodge last year. Those men are from my hometown, but I have only ever seen two of them in a meeting. At best, we have 20 show up for meetings, and its rare to see a new face.

It's all a bit discouraging for a newbie. It's the doers who keep me coming back and interested. There's only a handful of them, but that's all it takes. A couple of them have served at the district and state level, so I feel like I'm in good hands.

Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App

 

[dfreybur]

The lodge where I am a FC at is rather social in nature, and likely not willing to hear about the educational, let alone the esoteric, aspects of Masonry. I don't think it will be that way for a very long time, if ever.

Nothing succeeds like success. A lodge with an active social calendar will also have an active degree calendar. If Stated meetings run long because of discussion of activities and events to the point there is no time for educational presentations, then that lodge is successful enough to be used as an example. Social activities are Masonry in action. They just happen to be a part of Masonry that isn't what you are looking for.

It is high on ladder of possibilities that my wife and I will move back to Central PA within the next year or two. When we move, I'd like to find a lodge that is very interested in Masonic Education.

There is occasional discussion of preferring a large lodge versus preferring a small lodge. If you want a lodge that is a thought leader you may want to affiliate with a small lodge that is struggling. Start doing presentations at Stated meetings where nothing else is being discussed anyways. Start drawing other men interested in doing that. In a small lodge one brother makes a bigger difference. Of course if you do this you will necessarily become one of the doers and shakers so plan for that.

Importantly have a long term plan for not getting burned out. One pattern you'll notice is after a merger the brothers of one lodge who were holding it up by their doing and shaking tend to relax and drop in activity. Brothers love their lodges enough that almost every time there is a consolidation it happened too late and it happened because the doers and shakers holding it up started to burn out.

 

[Rob427W]

Bro. dfrey,

Thank you for pointing out an underlying arrogance in my thought process, that I unfortunately wasn't noticing.

And thanks for the advice!

 

[cemab4y]

Many excellent points raised here. I have often discussed, that Masonry needs to take a "holistic" approach, about how to move Masonry (and Masons) into the 21st century. We need to find out what causes men to become inactive and drop out, and also what makes them keep coming back, and contributing.

Then we can work to eliminate the negatives, and push up the positives. Grand Lodges and Lodges can learn from each other.

I have often pushed the concept of giving each Mason a "calling". That is, to stress that a man's obligations to the Craft do not end with the paying of a dues check once per year.

Each Mason, should also contribute some "sweat equity", to the Craft, when possible. Each Mason should be assigned to a "calling" that can utilize his talents and skills. IT geeks can be assigned to the IT committee. Men who are skilled in the carpentry and building trades can be assigned to the building upkeep committee. Men with cooking skills to the kitchen-krew. And there is always the cleanup and yard-mowing division. If there is no easy match, then have each man come up with his own calling, example: visiting Masonic widows,etc.

I believe sincerely, that each man needs to feel that he is important to Masonry. In this way, Masonry will become important to him. I believe that there are men who could contribute to the Craft, and to their individual lodges, if they only are provided with the proper 'avenue of support'.

 

[cemab4y]

I am certainly one of them. The lodge where I am a FC at is rather social in nature, and likely not willing to hear about the educational, let alone the esoteric, aspects of Masonry. I don't think it will be that way for a very long time, if ever.

It is high on ladder of possibilities that my wife and I will move back to Central PA within the next year or two. When we move, I'd like to find a lodge that is very interested in Masonic Education.

This is an interesting comment, that I hear often. "My lodge is not interested in X" or "My lodge has never done Y".

If there is some activity that will benefit your lodge, and the members, then propose it. You may find that there are members in your lodge, who are also interested in the educational aspects of Masonry, but have never spoken up.

You should contact a "lodge of research", and get some advice. You can also contact nearby lodges, and invite speakers to give a program about some aspect of Masonry (or the appendant/concordant bodies), that would prove interesting to the membership.

Masonry is a "work in progress", and you may just find that there are more men in your lodge who are interested in the same aspects of Masonry as you are.

If you are unable to find a lodge in your current area (or in your new area), which is interested in Masonic education, then introduce the topic at your lodge meeting. You might even consider starting your own "lodge of research", with other Masons in your area.

Good luck!!

 

[Rob427W]

Bro. cemab4y,

Thanks you for the great advice. When the time comes I'll certainly look into it. I am not to be Raised until February 18th.

 

[cemab4y]

I am delighted to have been of help. The enthusiasm of most Masons, to accept or even consider my "advice", has been somewhat "uneven".

Your posting "made my day"

 

[dfreybur]

"In the lodge there are two significant terms in common use. Money matters, election of officer-bearers, laws and bye-laws and such like, are called Business. The ceremonies of the degrees, etc., are named Work.

The terminology varies by jurisdiction -

Stated meetings are called that because it is "stated" in the by-laws. Since every brother raised or affiliated has signed the by-law book he at least in theory knows the time and location of all Stated meetings. Because of that all matters of money that require a vote and all matters of candidates that require a ballot may only happen at a Stated meeting. These meetings are opened for business and no other type of meeting is opened for that reason - This distinction is lost in Texas.

Special meetings are called that because they are not stated in the by-laws. They are also named called meetings in some jurisdiction. They are named this because these emergent meetings are called out on the events calendar and/or the members involved are called by summons or other means to come to the meeting. These meetings except in Texas are opened for work, though I have seen some opened explicitly for proficiency as a more specific term at the moment.

Lodges of instruction tend to be opened at district or other meetings with brothers of several lodges. These meetings should be opened for instruction but it is common for the brother in the east to use the wording of the meeting type that is being practiced instead.

Brothers interested in Masonic education need to learn that ritual is taught by "instruction" so anything referred to by "education" automatically excludes ritual recitation and vice versa.

 

[crono782]

Yeah, I noticed the incongruence in the phrasing too, but is a tad forgivable given that the author wrote those words oh about 90+ years ago or so. But the gist is still there... Business is necessary, but the true purpose is the Work.