...may be the way to help save it. How many of us belong to a Lodge that boasts 300 or 400 members? And only 10% show up for a meeting?? What happens to those other 270 Brethren???

Perhaps if we limited the size of a Lodge to, say, 50 members we'd retain more active members. 1 Lodge with 30 active members out of 300 versus 10 Lodges with 300 active members. Most Brethren that I talk about this subject say that the reason they don't attend is that they get no 'enlightenment' from sitting on the sidelines listening to a booring business meeting. They want to be active. They want to take part. They want to be 'enlightened'.

Currently, I haven't seen much in the way of Masonic Education taking place in the Lodges that I have visited. Oh, you get the lecture on proper Ritual but Masonry is more than just Ritual. I've not had the pleasant experience of attending a session wherein the meaning (what's behind) of the ritual is looked at. (That's not to say there are no such programs; it only means that I haven't had that experience.) What's wrong with exploring the esoteric side of the Ritual? What's wrong with getting back to the basic of 'making good men better'? What's wrong with taking care of ourselves *before* taking care of the profane?

I know that there are those 'out there' who feel likewise. And I know that it is a slow process but as a PGM said to a PM, while discussing this very subject and upon the PM saying 'We've never done it that way when *I* was Master', "And that is why we have the problems we're having."

Quote:

Perhaps if we limited the size of a Lodge to, say, 50 members we'd retain more active members. 1 Lodge with 30 active members out of 300 versus 10 Lodges with 300 active members. Most Brethren that I talk about this subject say that the reason they don't attend is that they get no 'enlightenment' from sitting on the sidelines listening to a booring business meeting. They want to be active. They want to take part. They want to be 'enlightened'.

Brilliantly put
In large lodges how can one climb the ladder?

And also the reverse is true . One may have to combine lodges if necessary in order to revitalise.

Over here smaller lodges are very much the norm

My own lodge started this masonic year with 33 members - of whom we would normally expect to see at least 50% at every meeting. We now stand at 36 members as we had 2 re-joining members and one joining member at our Installation in November and are due to initiate a new member later this month

Wayne

deeaton wrote:

Most Brethren that I talk about this subject say that the reason they don't attend is that they get no 'enlightenment' from sitting on the sidelines listening to a booring business meeting. They want to be active. They want to take part. They want to be 'enlightened'.

We must have been talking to the same Brothers. If we are to maintain and or increase membership we must give the Brethren something to look forward to, knowing that when they leave their meeting they will have more light. The rituallistic portion of Masonry is most important, but true Masons want, and need to understand the allegorical part.

Nelson


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PM Truelight of Zion 399
PHP Ollie Roberts Chapter 59
PEC MLK Commandery 14
PCnC McDonald Consistory 226
Bejilah Temple 166
United Supreme Council 33rd. AASR SJ (USA)

There is more to ritual and allegory that will interest brethren.
Biographies of famous masons; calendar; code; $; other workings + general history.etc

dbdent wrote:

There is more to ritual and allegory that will interest brethren.
Biographies of famous masons; calendar; code; $; other workings + general history.etc

True, we do need to be more innovated.

Nelson


_________________
PM Truelight of Zion 399
PHP Ollie Roberts Chapter 59
PEC MLK Commandery 14
PCnC McDonald Consistory 226
Bejilah Temple 166
United Supreme Council 33rd. AASR SJ (USA)

[dbdent]In large lodges how can one climb the ladder?

Generally speaking, one can't. I'm particularly familiar with one Lodge that only one member out of 14 ever gets the chance to 'join' the line. Over the years, the number of members on the side lines has steadily declined to the point that there are very few members in Lodge other than the Officers.

[dbdent]And also the reverse is true. One may have to combine lodges if necessary in [dbdent]order to revitalise.

Generally speaking, if a Lodge stays active then there won't be a need for revitalisation (in the normal sense of the word). By 'stays active' I'm talking about a 'small' Lodge (30-50 members) that has 'work' for its members, continually bringing in new members (and spinning off daughter Lodges at the appropriate time) and hasn't had a PM recycle through the Line in years (if ever).

Generally speaking, when a Lodge, for some reason, interrupts the above process then it finds itself starting to recycle PMs and then the system begins to deterioate at which point mergers become necessary. This, IMHO, may not be good. If both (all) Lodges in the merger are merging for similar reasons AND they don't change the way they are operating then at some point down the road there will either be another merger or a Lodge will go dark.

F&S Regards,
David E. Eaton, Sr., MM, MPS
Burlington (NJ) Lodge #32, F&AM
Odenton (MD) Lodge #209, AF&AM

In Israel the GL has just amended the constitution -- Masters must take the chair of KS for 2 years and preferably his team also.
This essentaially is to permit the GM to visit all lodges over a 2 year period at Installation of Master.

This obviously slows down the ladder!

Two Craft Lodge to which I belong have around 50 members each and pretty constant over the last 25 and 50 years. Mentoring is important for retention, giving the new members stuff to do - even as stewards. Actively encouraging attendance at the Lodge of Instruction where things are questioned and expertly explained or looked up for later explanation. That way we all learn more of what makes Freemasonry such a fascinating occupation.

The Past Masters are just that - Past - as am I. We fill in any degree ritualistic gaps that occur from time to time, give talks and dramatic presentations as required, help organise the 'youngsters' to do some of the Lodge management tasks.

This all seems to work.

Well, we are all in the same boat, wherever we are and whatever we look at on th subject. It is maybe time, instead to despair, to look at the aspect of recruiting members, how we recruit them, who they are, how they come to us, what we expect from them, what they expect from us and finally what is the perception of our candidates of our Craft.
I would look to the problem in a different manner. First, let us take advantage of the fact that we are fewer, let us refine our attitudes and expectations and get finally into the mood of changing what is to be changed. I believe - and here I fear to generalize - that our recruitment should be more exclusive. The human nature is built to search for special environments and we can become elite without being elitist. What I mean is determine a new approach to investigate our candidates, be more selective in chosing those who can bring something to Freemasonry, to enrich our thoughts and our values by their presence, to become those members of the Craft that can send an exemplary message to those who are outside the Craft, that will encourage them and make them want to belong to the same organization. These elements should be carefully selected , therefore our selection criteria should change. I think that we demand too little and therefore, becoming a Mason is not anymore the challenge it was. In certain Jurisdictions, the Cultural qualities of our members have ceased to be a pre-requisite of becoming a Mason. Therefore, very few, today, are interested in the richness of our Intellectual Wealth, fewer are reading anything more than the Ritual, if at all and fewer are those who understand it and the messages it conveys. It is a direct result of our renunciation to recrute based on quality rather than quantity. Many are those, today, who deploy huge efforts to acquire numbers, more members to the dying Lodges, when numbers will either not revive them or give them only an injection of "Quantdrenalin" that will last the time of an expiration only. Education of elderly members is a loss of time. Too late and the more we insist, the less there is interest.
We should recruit a new generation, not necessarily a young generation, but a new generation of candidates with a predisposition or an adequate education and a minimum level of Culture that will incite them to continue and research, and find out what is to be found in our precepts, teachings, and in the beauty of Masonic lore. They have to be curious, curiosity denotes intelligence, they must be recruited based on faculties and not only because they are in search of a good fellowship. It is very important but only a part of what Freemasonry has to offer. It has to offer a new level of perception of things, it is in itself a powerful system of education, without which it is deprived of colour, of sense and becomes just another club in search of new members to be recruited by marketing.


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Joseph V. Haffner
Ars Longa - Vita Brevis

Beautifully put

We should recruit a new generation, not necessarily a young generation, but a new generation of candidates with

Quote:

a predisposition or an adequate education and a minimum level of Culture that will incite them to continue and research, and find out what is to be found in our precepts, teachings, and in the beauty of Masonic lore. They have to be curious, curiosity denotes intelligence, they must be recruited based on faculties and not only because they are in search of a good fellowship. It is very important but only a part of what Freemasonry has to offer. It has to offer a new level of perception of things, it is in itself a powerful system of education, without which it is deprived of colour, of sense and becomes just another club in search of new members to be recruited by marketin

You have just paraphrased the lecture to the initiate in the Nedelandic Ritual

It's funny how nobody seems to see past the 1 night a month that we do the Lodge's business. There are many otther nights in the month that degrees are put on. I believe it's our duty to ensure a quality experience for the candidates. Many times we have had to ask for help from other Lodges to put on the 3rd because only 15 or less would show up at all. This is definately a condition we all, or almost all, have. I bet there were plenty of brothers standing on the floor when they first saw light.


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Birmingham # 44
Michigan, United States of America.

Brother:
Why wait for someone else to give a short talk on Masonic Education. I'm sure your Worshipful Master would welcome a short talk at the meeting.
There is so much out there that you can get to talk about that would enlighten others just a little bit.
I'm sure your Grand Lodge has a lot of material you can use.

Ed Piles
WM Gardenville-Cache #455
St Louis, Mo

I agree with Marsh
It is imperative that brethren visit sister lodges and approved sister constitutions
It proves the worldliness of masonry and expands brotherly friendship

Greetings Brethren,

One of the things i like about Masonry is that you can choose to do as much or as little as you like. For those brethren who want to progress through to the chair and join the many side degrees on offer the opportunity is there if you so wish and for those brethren who choose not to go on to the chair and have no interest in side degrees that is ok too.


Kind Regards

K


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"Pas a pas se va luenh"