by Midnight Freemason Contributor
RWB. Michael H. Shirley
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| Photo Credit: Kenton Lodge #145 AF&AM |
Todd Creason’s post, Where
Did All Our Freemasons Go?, has struck a nerve. With over 3000 hits in the
first twenty-four hours, countless sharings on Facebook (many of which were
prefaced with “You have to read this!”), and a fair amount of buzz elsewhere,
it’s clear that there are a lot of Masons who want something more at their
stated meetings than paying bills and reading minutes. Actually, it’s been
clear for a while now. Laudable Pursuit (the book by the Knights of the North) addressed the very
points Todd does (and more), and you should immediately go read it, if you
haven’t already.
There’s one thing Todd didn’t mention, though, and it’s
essential to his call for reform: the Worshipful Master has to know how to run
a meeting. Too many Brothers elected to the Oriental Chair are inexperienced in
such matters, and are so concerned with getting the ritual right that they
ignore other fundamentals. So let me offer a few suggestions:
1. Have a printed agenda, with enough copies for everyone.
Make it as detailed as you can, and be sure you’ve asked your brethren for
additions to it. It should not be solely your creation. If your Grand Lodge has
a suggested agenda sequence (mine does), by all means follow it, but add
details to it, and print it up. “It’s already on the back cover of the Book of
Constitutions” is not a good reason to be lazy. It’s your lodge’s agenda, and
it’s essential to running a good meeting.
2. Take input before the meeting. This is not just for finding agenda items,
but to involve everyone in the lodge’s business, and to give younger officers
and members a sense of ownership. If you call or email every lodge member and
ask if they have anything they want in the agenda, they may have nothing, but
they’re more likely to take it seriously and more likely to show up. You’ll get
more done over the course of your year, too.
3. Make sure the secretary has the minutes printed up, with
enough copies for everybody. Better yet, have him email them to the members
ahead of time. Post them on the wall in the dining room. We don’t need to hear
them read. Really. We don’t. There’s no good reason to do it. So let the
Brethren read them before the meeting, and devote your time to more important
things.
4. Be decisive, but respectful. We all know the Brother who
needs to comment on everything. Extensively. To no apparent purpose. (There’s a
reason my Grand Lodge limits comments on legislation.) As Worshipful Master,
it’s your job to give the Brethren the opportunity to speak, and to listen
carefully and respectfully. They’re your Brethren, and they deserve your
serious attention. It’s also your job to decide when there’s been enough talk
about a particular subject, make a decision, call for a vote if necessary, and
move on. Of course, if the 90-year-old Past Master who shows up for everything
decides to spend five minutes in the middle of new business talking about the
good old days, let him. He’s earned the right, and you could learn something.
When he’s done, thank him.
5. Keep an eye on the clock. As a teacher, I’ve presided
over classes in which spirited and intelligent discussion was an everyday
occurrence, where no one wanted to leave when the class ended. The class still
ended, and it was my job to make sure the discussion stayed on point and to end
it when the time came. The time always came. A stated meeting has no set
period, but keeping an eye on the clock will help you move things along. That
said,
6. Curb your impatience. The pie can wait. If there’s good
discussion or education going on, let it. Don’t be in a hurry to move on to the
next thing. (Of course, you shouldn’t let things just meander, either.)
7. Have Masonic
education at every meeting, but keep it relatively short, usually no more than
15-20 minutes at the most, and that only when you have a guest speaker or floor
work instruction. Keep a few items of Masonic interest in your back pocket, so
that if your speaker doesn’t show, or you just forgot to arrange something in
advance, you’re not forced to skip it.
8. Embrace serendipity. Allow your lodge to take the
discussion in new directions. You’ll be amazed at what you discover. Together,
we can come up with amazing ideas, but only if the Worshipful Master allows the
conversation to evolve.
9. Make sure everyone knows what to do after the meeting is
over. If you have a Past Masters’ Dinner to schedule, roadside cleanup to
arrange, a pancake breakfast to organize, assign tasks to people (better yet,
take volunteers), and make sure those people know what they’re supposed to do
and when they’re supposed to do it. Make sure the Secretary writes them in the
minutes. Your job after the meeting is to follow up with everyone. Yes, you
should delegate, but you can’t delegate following up.
These suggestions are mine, based on my experience. Others have offered their own, and there are surely more that I haven’t found. The
point is, running a meeting requires planning, communication, and
determination; the whole of your lodge’s year may depend on how seriously your
take your job as Worshipful Master in this most mundane of things.
As always, these are
my suggestions based on my experience. You may have different ideas. If you
have suggestions for additions to this list, please feel free to put them in the
comments.
MHS
R.W.B. Michael H. Shirley
serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A.F. & A.M, as Leadership
Development Chairman and Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master of the
Eastern Area. A Certified Lodge Instructor, he is a Past Master and
Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332 and a plural member of Island City
Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He currently serves
the Valley of Danville, AASR, as Most Wise Master of the George E.
Burow Chapter of Rose Croix; he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge
of Research, the York Rite, Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied
Masonic Degrees, Eastern Star, Illini High Twelve, and the Tall Cedars
of Lebanon. The author of several articles on British history, he
teaches at Eastern Illinois University.You can contact him at:
m.h.shirley@gmail.com
