Dead Lodges Walking

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski

One of my favorite sayings is "You can't step on the same piece of water twice." It's akin to "You can never really go home." We long for times when things seemed better. We fight the current to return to Whence We Came instead of dealing with an uncomfortable, unpleasant, or unfamiliar Now. We want to have what we once had, to go back to running a Lodge like we did generations ago.

This is the drag and inertia we see in Lodges, and frankly, it's been killing us. It's the REASON we are where we are. If only we could go back to doing things that made us great! Except it's not the same river. That water has moved on. And we didn't thrive years ago because of anything special we did. Everyone joined everything and they didn't care if it was Freemasonry or any other reason to have another night out.

If we REALLY want to return to what made us great, we have to go much farther back -- to times like TODAY when Lodges that survive do so because they bring meaning and value, not because the masses to fill our rolls want to wear another pin or a fez.

We want to blame television (and more recently, the Internet), apathy, and lack of attendance. We blame parenting for lack of interest in joining. Maybe the fault is us. We think we are more committed and dedicated by being in Lodge just because we are there. Years ago, that was good enough -- or maybe it wasn't but we got away with it. Today, some of the most Masonic of us have learned to pick and choose. We go where the action is -- where we are needed for more than a dues payment or to fill in a chair just to open long enough to pay bills.

We complain about being in a holding pattern -- or a slow spiral downward -- but don't do anything to break out of it. In fact, we will do anything NOT to break out of it. We focus on petitions, money, or a building as if these are the ends and not the means. Masonry isn't rocket science. We don't "make good men better" by running a club that just happens to have some old ritual. We provide instruction and mentorship through fraternal solidarity of purpose.

That's it. Everything we do can be guided by this purpose, from checking in on Brothers to providing relief, to nourishing minds and hearts with programs, to practicing it all by making a difference in the world through community projects.

If a Lodge lacks any of these, we need to address that, not complain about why people don't attend. It's not a secret why some Lodges are thriving and others are not. The ones who do the Work are not talking about mergers or seem desperate for petitions. They are focused on the purpose, not the result.

What would going back to the "Golden Years" of Masonry actually mean? Should we pretend that world still exists and shake our fists at fate for not delivering us into a promised land of busting Degree cycles? That's what we've been doing for almost half a century and it's gotten us nowhere. And Masonic authors from long before this shared the same fears our Craft would not survive another generation. But they've also shared the solution over and over and over -- meaningful programs and instruction.

But knowing the solution and not taking it elevates the issue to "level 2 tech support" where obstructionists need to stand down, step down, or go just away. Our own members are why we can't have nice things.

Freemasonry is starting to finally emerge from this. It's stronger where it counts, having shed skin that doesn't fit anymore. But we still have plenty of Dead-Lodges-Walking and leaders who will keep a Lodge on life support until they -- or the Lodge -- are gone. Forget merging dead lodges into larger dead heaps and waiting for people to age out. Pull charters. Emeritus-away the old guard if they can't let go of the reigns. Stop glorifying hold-outs. Let's climb on the life raft of functional, healthy Lodges. The Fraternity needs some excision or we all risk going down with the ship.

~JP

 

Bro. Ken JP Stuczynski is a member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111 and recently served as Master of Ken-Ton Lodge No.1186. As webmaster for NYMasons.Org he is on the Communications and Technology Committees for the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. He is also a Royal Arch Mason and 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, serving his second term as Sovereign Prince of Palmoni Council in the Valley of Buffalo, NMJ. He also coordinates a Downtown Square Club monthly lunch in Buffalo, NY. He and his wife served as Patron and Matron of Pond Chapter No.853 Order of the Eastern Star and considered himself a “Masonic Feminist”.

Masonic Education is No Laughing Matter

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

As an editor, I try not to run consecutive articles by the same author on the blog. However, something that happened to the District Education Officers (DEOs) and Area Education Officers (AEOs) of the Grand Lodge of Illinois this past Saturday at the District Deputy Grand Master (DDGM) and Deputy Education Officer (DEO) training, which felt inexcusable to me. Writing for me is a form of catharsis, and I hope that after you read this article, you will understand why I felt what occurred important enough to write about. I will not be naming names. I just want to report what happened and why I feel it was inexcusable.

The training began with the two distinct groups, The District Education Officers and Area Education Officers, along with the Chairman of the Committee for Masonic Education in one room to discuss matters of Education, while the District Deputy Grand Masters, Assistant Area Grand Masters, and Area Grand Masters were in the other room along with the Grand Lodge Officers to discuss their business. From my perspective, the morning session was very informative. The Area Education Officers, the Chairman of the Committee on Masonic Education, and other members of the education committee that were present were able to roll out our new statewide educational effort, which is a newsletter that will be sent to all Master Masons in the State of Illinois. We named it "The Lyceum" after the Greek Temple to Apollo Lyceus, where Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle taught Philosophy. The hope being that the newsletter would encourage our Illinois Brethren to pursue their own philosophical pursuits.

Following the rollout of the new newsletter, we learned that many of the DEO's wanted a program first initiated by a former Stated Education Officer brought back. They felt that the program, which consisted of a few lines of ritual followed by some talking points or guided discussion questions, really helped them and their Lodge Education Officers provide education to the brethren in their Lodges. We learned that many felt frustrated at a lack of support from their Lodges when it came to education. It was a familiar tale and one I have discussed ad nauseam in previous articles. If they felt that they had no support during our session, what happened a little later would only prove they were right.

We broke for lunch at noon and learned that we would be joining the rest of the brethren after lunch for the afternoon session. I don't remember who announced this, but when it was announced by one of the Grand Lodge officers that the "Education Guys" would be joining the District Deputy Grand Masters, Assistant Area Deputy Grand Masters, and Area Deputy Grand Masters, there were audible groans and boos. So much for Brotherly Love.

The training session continued with a review of the newly instituted Lodge Leadership program, which is designed for Brothers who are Wardens or Masters of their Lodges. I think that the program is probably one of the best programs that the Grand Lodge of Illinois has put out. I look forward to personally taking it as soon as possible. However, one of the Brothers in charge of the program decided that the "Education Guys" should be the butt of his jokes throughout his portion of his presentation. That's when it hit me. The majority of the leadership of the Grand Lodge of Illinois does not take Masonic Education seriously. We are, as I have witnessed in my few years as a District Education and Area Education Officer, the proverbial: "redheaded stepchildren."

We continue to be treated as such, and it was on full display on Saturday. I do not attend the training sessions because of the "Goody Bags" that our Grand Lodge gives out at these training sessions, but just to illustrate my point about the way the Education Officers are treated versus the DDGMS, AADGMS, and ADGMS; They received the incoming Grand Masters Tie, while the "Education Guys" received a lunch box. The only reason I know this is because, during the closing remarks, they were told not to wear it until the "result" was official on the second day of the Grand Lodge sessions.

I have to be honest that I had a lot of thoughts go through my head on the hour and a half drive back home from the meeting Saturday. I was angry. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. I had thoughts about resigning as Area Education Officer. Instead, I've decided to double down because Masonic Education is no laughing matter. It is the most important part of Freemasonry, and many of our members are laughing at Masonic Education because, let's face it, they don't understand what we do for Freemasonry. I feel that the prevailing view is that the "Education Guys" are nerds, and what pop culture made a trope out of? Movies like Revenge of the Nerds, Sitcoms like Family Matters and the Big Bang Theory, and songs by Big Al Yankovic have made it okay to make fun of Nerds.

I guess it doesn't matter that the Committee on Masonic Education is a committee that is required according to our Grand Lodge Constitution and By-Laws. I guess it doesn't matter that if it wasn't for "Education Guys," we would not have our current ritual, nor would we have Anderson's Constitution and By-Laws, Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences, Pike's Morals and Dogma, Hodapp's Freemasonry for Dummies, or any other writing on Freemasonry. Honestly, if not for brethren that were passionate about spreading the Light of Freemasonry by continuing to think about its application, symbols, history, ritual, and wanting to share these thoughts with their brethren to stimulate them, Freemasonry most likely would have died out a long time ago. It has always been the "Education Guys" that have pushed Freemasonry forward. It is their legacy that we build upon today. So while maybe the majority of my brethren might not care about Education, they are indebted to those that have.

One of the DEO's in our meeting said something to the effect that the majority of our members might not care about Education, but for many of us, it's the only reason we are showing up to stated meetings. I want you to think about that. It's the only reason that many are showing up to Lodge. You would think that after our Grandmaster spoke about the number of Lodges that are closing or consolidating in his closing remarks that it would be something that our membership would want to prioritize. Why? Because education, when done correctly, is engaging all of the membership participating in it. What happens when you engage your membership in such a fashion? You empower them. What normally happens when you empower someone? You give them a sense of importance and belonging. What happens when someone feels like they belong? They want to come back to the place where they have that sense of belonging.

So please continue to make us feel unwelcome, please continue to make fun of us, please continue to laugh at us. We'll be over here in the shadows, doing our thing, shining our Masonic Light, welcoming others with open arms to join us, showing them Brotherly love, and giving them a sense of belonging. Like we've always done. Masonic Education is no laughing matter, but we might even have a chuckle or two amongst ourselves along the way.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is our co-managing Editor.  He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.              

Coming Back Is Not Easy

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor
WB Gregory J. Knott

I don’t know about you, but returning to meetings for the blue lodge and other groups has been harder than I thought.   After basically a year of not attending meetings in person, I’ve come to see I have a different perspective on the necessity of my attendance.   I haven’t had as much free time as I did in the last year since I was very young and I have very much enjoyed not going to as many meetings.

As we get back into full speed, I have personally made the determination that I am going to attend meetings I wish to attend, not because I have to attend.   My days of going to mindless business meetings that really serve no purpose other than to plan the next mindless business meeting or talk about who is behind on paying dues are going to be limited.   

This isn’t to imply that I am down on Freemasonry, because I am not.  However, for me, Freemasonry isn’t reading the minutes, talking about a roof for months on end or complaining about the same guys who don’t pay their dues on time year after year.    Freemasonry to me should be educational opportunities, fellowship, service to others, and work within the community all with a purpose of individual self-improvement. 

What are your thoughts on returning to the lodge?  Do you look at things differently?  Are you satisfied with the way things were going before the pandemic and hope they return?  I am curious about your thoughts and perspectives.   Please leave them here in the comments or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/midnightfreemasons

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

What would you say you do here?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners 

Office Space is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the work-life of a typical mid-to-late-1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space). One of the scenes in Office Space has a pair of consultants, Bob Slydell and Bob Porter (known in the movie as the Bobs) who are brought in to interview the employees in order to help the company downsize.  Bob Slydell, played by John C. McGinley, famously asks one of the employees, Tom Smykowski who is played by Richard Riehle, "What would you say you do here?"

Imagine if you will that Freemasonry was the corporation in Office Space instead of the fictional Initech.  Imagine that you were called before the "Bobs", and Bob Slydell posed that now-famous question at you, "What would you say you do here?"   What would your response be?  I believe that each individual Freemason would answer that question differently.  Some of you might give the old tried and true answer: "We take good men and we make them better."  Others might answer: "We make new Freemasons".  Others might not even know how to answer the question.  Others might have a completely different answer.    

Still, others might be more forthright answering, like the character of Peter in Office Space.  Peter, who is played by Ron Livingston, when interviewed by the "Bobs", confesses that he lacks the motivation to do a good job.

PETER

The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy. It's just that I just don't care. 

BOB PORTER 

Don't, don't care? 

PETER 

It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now, if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime. So where's the motivation? And here's another thing, Bob. I have eight different bosses right now! 

BOB SLYDELL 

I beg your pardon? 

PETER 

Eight bosses. 

BOB SLYDELL 

Eight? 

PETER 

Eight, bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my real motivation - is not to be hassled. That and the fear of losing my job, but y'know, Bob, it will only make someone work hard enough to not get fired. 

What would Peter say to the Bobs about Freemasonry?   I'd imagine the conversation going something like this:

PETER
The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy. It's just that I just don't care.

BOB PORTER
Don't, don't care?

PETER
It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now, if I show up to a meeting, there's a good chance that I'm going to spend all of the stated meeting listening to the other guys complain. I'm getting absolutely nothing from the Stated Meeting. There's no education, no festive board, nothing to entice me. So where's the motivation to attend? And here's another thing, Bob. We have eight different Past Masters right now!

BOB SLYDELL
I beg your pardon?

PETER
Eight Past Masters.

BOB SLYDELL
Eight?

PETER
Eight, bob. So that means when I make a mistake with my ritual or floor work, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it after the meeting. That's my real motivation - is not to be hassled. That and the fear of being publically embarrassed, but y'know, Bob, it will only make someone not want to come back to a meeting.

I'm being facetious, but unfortunately, the answer I gave above is based on personal experience. To the attentive ear, the question that Bob Slydell asks Tom sounds similar to one that is asked while opening on the First Degree.  "What came you here to do?"  The answer given is: "To learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry."   That answer is very telling.  How does someone learn something?  You either learn by trial and error, by observation, or you are taught; meaning you are educated.

Freemasonry further reinforces the idea of education being important in the Fellowcraft degree when the candidate is taught about the winding staircase consisting of three, five, and seven steps.  The Three steps alluding to the three degrees that each lodge confers, along with the three principal officers of the lodge, the Five Steps alluding to the Five orders of architecture along with the five human sense, and the Seven steps alluding to the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, one of which, Geometry, Masonry is founded on.  I dare say that Education takes a major place in the Three Degrees.  In each degree, the candidate is taught about the working tools, the meanings behind our symbols, how to wear their apron, the due guard and signs, even the tokens and pass by which they can identify themselves as a Freemason.

It makes me wonder why education takes a backseat in our Stated Meetings?  Why is education not prioritized more by our Lodges?  If we are supposed to be improving ourselves in Masonry, then doesn't that allude to an ongoing process of educating ourselves? When we are told to make use of the common gavel for the more glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and consciences of the vices and superfluidities of life, thereby fitting our minds as living stones, for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; are we not being told to undergo a process of self - improvement?  While divesting your heart and conscience of the vices and superfluidities of life sounds a lot like subduing one's passions, doesn't it also go hand in hand with improving yourself in Masonry?  Is it not part of one's self-improvement to learn new skills?  How does one fit their mind to be a living stone without educating it? 

How would you answer Bob Slydell?  One of the beautiful things about Freemasonry is that it holds a different meaning for each of us.  Therefore, we each will give a different answer to Bob Slydell. It's also somewhat worrisome. As Freemasonry finds itself competing for its member's attention with numerous outside distractions like Social Media, Streaming services, Sports, and other community organizations, shouldn't we want to prioritize one of the main things that Freemasonry should be doing for the majority of its members?  If we are to improve ourselves in Masonry, then Masonry needs to be educating its membership on how to do so.   Otherwise, we're not improving ourselves, we're settling for stagnation.  I'd suggest that the next time that you hear someone grip, groan, or moan about you daring to suggest that Education be a part of our meetings, you remind them of that line from the First degree, and then ask them like Bob Slydell would: "What would you say you do here?"

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is our co-managing Editor.  He is a Past Master of and Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com   

Does Freemasonry Develop Talent?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin Lahners

Freemasonry does very little to no talent development. For an organization that claims to take good men and make them better, that’s a pretty damning statement. However, I stand by it. In Business, talent development refers to the organizational processes designed to attract, develop, motivate, and retain productive, engaged employees. If a business is to succeed, it has to do this and put a lot of effort into doing this. Otherwise, they will see a large turnover of employees. What is Freemasonry doing to attract, develop, motivate, and retain members? In my own personal experience, very little. Is it any wonder we are struggling with getting new members and retaining the ones we have?

What is Freemasonry doing to attract members? In business, a value proposition is an innovation, service, or feature intended to make a company or product attractive to customers. For our Fraternity, it should show what Freemasonry will do for each man individually or why a man should choose Freemasonry over another community organization. While we shouldn’t be joining Freemasonry for mercenary motives, we should be doing a better job of selling ourselves. Instead of saying: “We take good men and make them better”, our value proposition should be listing what we will do to make you a better man and how it relates to the individual.

Until very recently, we relied on campaigns like 2BE1ASK1, and other outdated methods to try to gain membership. In fact, until three Masonic appendant governing bodies, namely the NMJ and SMJ of the AASR and Shiner’s International, decided to sponsor beafreemason.org, there was very little effort put forth in order to attract membership. My Grand Lodge, has an invitation to petition program, but it is not used to its full effectiveness nor is it really being pushed by them as a program that Lodges should be using. Lodges should be using this program to have its members identify their friends, neighbors, and other members of the community that would be active and engaged members. As part of this process, once the invitation is accepted, we should be giving a value proposition for the prospective members. We can no longer rely on our history or reputation as an organization to be an effective recruitment tool.

At my last meeting at St. Joseph #970, as Worshipful Master, I had six "invitation to petition" forms submitted and read, which will be voted on at our next stated meeting. Assuming the vote for these members is favorable, it is my plan to write each of the prospective members a letter, along with a value proposition about how I think Freemasonry can benefit them. I also encouraged members to think about men that they know and encouraged them to do the same. St. Joseph has not had a new member in over two years. If we do not bring in new active and engaged members, we need to seriously start to consider consolidating with another lodge. We continue to lose members due to having them move away from the area, or by having some pass away, and we are not gaining new members to replace that attrition. I doubt that we are the only lodge to experience this problem.

What is Freemasonry doing to develop members? It is my opinion that we are doing very little. Time and time again, Education is not given the same importance as other items on the meeting agenda.  My girlfriend Lisa, who is the incoming Chair for the National Advisors for Chapters and an incoming board member on the Board of Directors for the Association of Talent Development, retweeted this today: "Learning shouldn't be begging for a place at the table, it should be setting the menu." Truer words have never been spoken.  Masonic Education should be the highlight of our stated meetings, not an afterthought. Apparently, the majority of us would rather spend a meeting debating how many rolls of toilet paper to buy or (insert your own trivial matter of business) over actually working to improve ourselves.  How in the heck does this make us better men?  It doesn't.  The ugly truth of the matter is that: 

1. Not every man in Freemasonry is a good man

2. Not every man in Freemasonry cares about becoming a better man

3. There are some men in Freemasonry that have no interest in helping their brethren who are good men become better men, and that is why they don't support Masonic Education.

We also do a terrible job of identifying skills that our members might be good at and interested in, and in helping them to use and develop those skills to help not only improve themselves but the lodge or Freemasonry in their area as well. We each have individual skills that we are good at and other areas where we lack skills. One member might be a strong natural leader but not be very good with technology, while another might lack leadership skills but be very good with technology. Doesn’t it make sense to pair these people together in order to have them help each other improve their skills? In most lodges where there is a progressive line, wouldn’t you want to make sure that the members that will be succeeding them are good leaders?

We also fail when it comes to mentoring. In Illinois, we have something called the intender program. Under this program, each candidate is assigned an experienced Freemason to help them learn their catechisms and to help them through their degrees. I have seen time and time again where the experienced Freemason stops mentoring the individual who is their candidate once that candidate is raised as a Master Mason. This needs to stop. It seems that we’ve forgotten our obligations to aid and support our brethren. When was the last time that you offered to help another member of your lodge with their ritual and floor work outside of a meeting? Or invited them to coffee for a discussion? Or generally, tried to get to know them? Are you taking an active role in trying to mentor and help develop the talents of your brethren? Yes, there might be times where the other member might be unwilling to accept your help or overtures of friendship. In these cases, make sure you’re setting the right example for them to follow. Mentoring another member can be both active and passive.

How many of you have a formal or informal degree team in your area? All of the members of the “team” are the ones called are always called upon to put on degrees, and it’s always the same brothers doing the same parts in the same degrees night after night. This is problematic because the members of the “team” aren’t usually trying to mentor the members that are not on the “team” and they are not encouraging them to learn parts or participate in the degrees. The members that want to learn parts and become members of the “team” often aren’t making their desires known to the degree “team” members. Essentially, a situation is created where you have a small number of people doing work, and because of the perceived clique of “team” members, other members feel that they are not encouraged to learn and participate or feel that they don’t need to learn or participate, because the degree “team” members have it covered. In my particular district, you have some older members of the “team” and when they pass away, there is no one to step up and fill that void. This is just one example of where we are failing to help to develop talent, but also where we have no succession plan in place.

What is Freemasonry doing to motivate and retain members? Our wages of corn, wine, and oil don’t seem to be bringing members to lodge, nor are they helping us retain our members. There have been multiple times where I’ve seen an enthusiastic new Master Mason be forced into a chair due to not having enough active and engaged membership, have them not be given proper instruction about what to do, and then have them approached by a grumpy past master after the meeting who tells them what they did wrong. Is it any wonder we continue to raise candidates and never see them return to lodge? I’ll also take the opportunity to highlight the times as an Area Education Officer, where I’ve seen educational programs ridiculed because the majority of brethren don’t want to take the time to explore our mysteries and symbols. They only seem to care about the stated meeting when they have something to complain about. However, once they’ve decided that they’re done complaining, they want to get the meeting over with. Then they might adjourn to the bar across the street, no doubt to complain about everything they disagreed within the meeting with their fellow complainers. In business, an employee acting like this would be reprimanded, maybe even terminated, for creating a hostile work environment. However, in Freemasonry, it seems to be the norm.

Another major reason for this is that our stated meetings are not run efficiently. In fact, I would argue that the current model of stated meetings is completely and utterly outdated. In my mind, the one thing that the pandemic has proven is that a stated meeting no longer is necessary to handle a majority of the business of the lodge. Almost all of the business can be handled either through email or via a short zoom/skype/webex/google meeting between the members. We need to make a change in the way that we handle business in order to compete for the attention of our members in the current day and age. We are competing with social media, streaming services, sports (our children’s and professional), and other organizations like a church or school board that our members might belong to. If we want to compete, we need to change the way we handle our business.

In changing the way that business is handled, we can free up time during our stated meeting nights that were previously used for business to focus on personal development. You know, actually doing the work of making good men better, instead of just saying that we do. We can use the time to implement skill development workshops, where we can teach leadership, grooming, public speaking, budgeting/personal finance, listening, and believe it or not, learning how to be more sensitive and empathetic. We can also use the time to improve ourselves in Masonry, with Masonic Education programs and working on ritual and floor work. Comradery needs to be built between the members of the lodge so that actually enjoy each other’s company, and want to seek more of it. This can be accomplished by holding festive boards or participating in other activities where the brethren can interact in a social setting outside of the lodge room on stated meeting nights. It seems to be beyond the realm of my comprehension to imagine a time where I could open St. Joseph #970 for a meeting, have a short meeting (15 – 20 minutes max), close the meeting and then adjourn to a festive board, or have the programs like what I mentioned above. Unfortunately, as long as we continue to have poorly run, long, boring, and sometimes toxic meetings, we will continue to lose members.

Not only that, many of us that are providing the energy and manpower to a lodge have become disheartened and unmotivated. I deal with this feeling more than I would like to admit when it comes to Freemasonry. Not only do the above examples show why we are failing to retain members, but also some of the reasons why many of us are becoming unmotivated. Couple this with the ways in which I see brethren mistreat each other within the lodge and on social media. We no longer seem to be practicing the tenet of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, the Lodge room, which is a place that I consider to be a sacred space (which should be devoid of politics or religion at all times, not just when the gavel has sounded), is no longer sacred to brethren. It seems that many of the brethren have decided that they don’t get enough discussion of these divisive topics on social media, and they need to engage in the same rhetoric within a lodge room. Many of us, myself included, are left bewildered by this when we try to speak good counsel to our brethren and we’re told that the gavel hasn’t sounded, so they can discuss whatever they want. Apparently, I missed the section in the lectures in my degrees that instructed us only to practice Freemasonry between the gavels. Is it any wonder that many of us are lacking motivation, or that we cannot retain our new members?

How do we change this? Freemasonry is local. Ultimately, you can only impact what is happening at your local lodge. Here are some things that you can do to help change your lodge culture and start to develop talent.

1. You need to have allies. If you’re the only one in your lodge that wants to change things, things will not change. You need to have enough brethren on your side to be able to implement change. You need to make sure that all of you have the same vision, and goals. Without this, you will not be able to implement programs to help develop the talents of or educate the brethren within your lodge.

2. You and your allies need to act as role models and mentors. Survey your membership and identify where there are mentorship possibilities, and connect mentors with mentees. Be sure to set an example for the brethren in your lodge.

3. Build a process to support development. Implement programs to help develop the talents of brethren in your lodge. Prioritize lodge education in the meetings. Reduce the waste of meetings so that there is time for these processes.

4. Reinforce our shared values. Remind the brethren why talent development is an important part of taking a good man and making him better. Help the brethren understand why this important and how it will help not only attract but retain members. Use your allies to implement lodge bi-laws to make changes permanent.

5. Be adaptable. Each lodge is unique and has a unique culture. What works for one lodge, might not work for another. Keep trying different approaches to development. Don’t give up when one thing doesn’t work. Note the things that are successful in your programs and the things that are not. Learn from your experiences.

The choice is yours. You can either help be the change or slowly watch your lodge die. I know what I am going to choose. 

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is a Past Master of and Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com

Freemasonry: Finding Our Future Part 2

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Worshipful Master Gregory J. Knott of Ogden Lodge No. 754 A.F. & A.M. Illinois

Last week I wrote about a meeting I attended at Admiration Chapter a few weeks ago now--you can read about that here.  Last Wednesday, which was the anniversary of the 9/11 attack, I attended the regularly stated meeting of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) A.F. & A.M.   Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor Greg Knott is the Worshipful Master of that Lodge, and he led a very interesting discussion on the topic of civility--it was the second discussion in a series of discussions he's led on the topic of civility at Ogden Lodge.

The thing that makes member education in our Lodges so important and discussions like this so relevant, is that we don't simply talk about the problems.  We all know our society is genuinely lacking in civility.  It doesn't exist for the most part on social media.  It certainly doesn't exist in our politics.  Even the most basic fundamentals of civility and respect are difficult to find in the world today--like the gentleman I saw this morning at a Barnes & Noble store who was in such a hurry, he let the heavy wooden door close on an elderly woman--it very nearly knocked her down.  He did glance back and say "sorry" as he walked away but he never stopped to help her gain entrance to the store.

Civility is an issue today.  And these discussions WB Knott has led are good because we didn't just complain about the lack of civility that exists today, we talked about what we could do both as individuals and as a Masonic Lodge to promote civility in our society.

We identified a few things including a tendency for people today to focus inwards on themselves.  Social media has amplified that without question--how many pictures to you think the average teenager takes of themselves and posts any given day?  There's also a lack of toleration for anyone that thinks differently than we do.  This idea of live and let live no longer seems to exist--the idea that freedom means we can say what we think, believe what we wish, and live our life according to our own set of principles and priorities so long as it doesn't infringe upon the rights of others to do the same.

And finally, there's a lack of empathy in our society today.  That ability to see things from another's perspective.  There's a lack of curiosity to understand another point of view, or to put ourselves in another person's place--like when you see an elderly woman struggling with a heavy wooden door and doing the right thing by stopping and holding it open for her.

One thing that Masons can do to improve civility in our society today is to become the standard, and to train a new generation of Masons to be principled men.  To mentor them.  To have discussions about topics they can benefit from and can apply to their everyday life.  To teach them the fundamentals of Freemasonry so they can become men of good character-- and later mentors and trainers and examples themselves.  It's living the principles that makes the Mason, not just giving lip service to them. 

The hard part of this process is mentoring.  Being strong enough to pull someone off to the side and say, "that comment you made to Frank was out of bounds" or "I think the way you characterized that situation you described during our meeting was misleading."  We learn through trial and error.  Through correction.  We learn more mistakes than we do from successes when we're aware we've made one.  Unfortunately, we live in a world that's afraid to correct anybody for any reason, and I think that fear has crept into Freemasonry as well.  How do you think future generations of Freemasons are going to act if we don't teach them to be Freemasons, serve as examples, and correct them gently and compassionately when they need it. 

If we're going to be a Fraternity of certain standards and principles and beliefs as we always have been, we're either going to have to defend them and teach them, or what's the point of any of this?

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP. You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Freemasonry: Finding Our Future In Our Past

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

I attended a really memorable meeting last week--I enjoyed it, I learned something from it, and I'm still thinking about some of the things that were said a week later.

The meeting was small in numbers, but big in content.  It was a regularly stated meeting of Admiration Chapter No. 282 (IL) Royal Arch.  We focus our meetings less on business and more on education, and during this meeting, I lead a discussion, the topic of which was suggested by fellow Midnight Freemasons contributor Brian Pettice, 33°.  The topic of the meeting was what Freemasonry means to us.

I started the discussion by having everyone follow me out of the Lodge and through the Tyler's room and we crowded into the Preparation Room.  Nobody knew why.  I had the last two members out of the Lodge grab the Steward's rods and once we were all crowded into that small room and had closed the door, I picked one of the members to step forward, the Stewards closed in on either side--flanking him.  I repeated those questions we all answer before we enter a Lodge for the first time.  We reenacted that very first bit of Masonic ritual we experience at the foot of the path we take in Freemasonry--it most likely varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but here in Illinois we call that the "Secretary Interrogatories".  That familiar bit of ritual took everyone back to those moments before we entered the Lodge for the first time.

What did we expect this experience to be like?  What brought us there?  What did we expect to gain?  What was our opinion of the Fraternity then?  What was our impression of the Masons that brought us to this place?  How did we think we were going to be changed?  All those questions we asked ourselves in that moment.

When the Masons in that little room realized what I was doing, it got very quiet as those words came back to them, and those memories they associated with that part of our ritual returned.  

Some of the Mason in that little room had been a Mason for decades, and others a very short time.  By going back in time like that, and putting ourselves back to that moment when we were looking at that door for the first time from the outside prompted a lively discussion after that exercise in which every member in attendance participated.

We talked about the purpose of Masonry.  We talked about mentoring.  We wondered if those coming into our Fraternity were having the same quality of experience that we had when we entered.  We talked about what we were doing right, and we talked about where we were falling short.  We talked about whether Freemasonry was still relevant, and determining unanimously that it was, we talked about how it's more important than ever in today's world.  And yes, we talked a little about recruitment and marketing who we are and what we are to a world that sometimes doesn't exactly understand who we are and what we are.

There are so many topics you can discuss.  There are so many creative ways you can get these discussions started.  So many formats from speakers, to presentations, to discussions, to book clubs.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to Lodge education and member development. Or do as we're doing--try a little bit of everything and let your members decide what they enjoy the most.

The members in attendance last week are already looking forward to our next meeting, and our next presentation.  They aren't looking forward to hearing minutes, or the treasurer's report--they're looking forward to talking about, and learning about Freemasonry and how to apply it to their lives.  How the application of the principles of Freemasonry is what Masonry is all about.

If your Lodge focuses on these basics you'll be amazed at what happens.  If you rebuild your Lodge on the foundations of Freemasonry, you'll find these Masonic principles are still relevant, still applicable, and still something men today are interested in talking about, applying, and living.

Tear into that ritual and teach your new members not just how to do it, but what it actually means.  Open those dusty books in your Lodge library and teach others the wisdom they contain.  Have conversations about what it is to be a Mason.  Mentor each other.  Advise each other.  Learn from each other.  Improve each other.  Then take that out into the world and serve as examples.

My Brothers, that's Freemasonry!

~TEC

Next week I'm going to tell you about another terrific meeting I attended last night . . . this meeting was lead by Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor Greg Knott at Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) A.F. & A.M. where he currently serves as Worshipful Master.

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP. You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

A Lodge Talks Itself To Masonic Education: Part 3 The Conclusion

by Midnight Freemasons Guest Contributor

Brian L. Pettice, 33°

Part 3 Leading The Lodge To My Conclusion, Or Not 

In the first installment of this series I shared Olive Branch Lodge No. 38’s statement on Masonic Education and established that generally Freemasonry had lost its focus. In the second installment I talked about my and other’s experience with establishing mission, vision, and goals statements for a lodge and how I hoped the Lodge would come to the conclusions I already had. In this last installment we will see how what has happened and why I am excited about the course the Lodge has decided to follow.

By the time late July rolled around I realized we would not have adequate time to have these discussions during the “Masonic Education” portion of our meetings, so I moved that all interested brethren meet at the restaurant down the street two hours before our first stated meeting in August to begin our discussions. On Tuesday August 1st a dozen Masons met at that restaurant to start the process. I reiterated to them what I wanted to eventually accomplish—to deliberately and intentionally establish mission, vision, and goal statements that would guide our future Lodge experience. I told them we were beginning an experiment to see if an existing lodge, one with long-standing traditions, could do that—to see if its members can reflect on and exam themselves and their Lodge and define the mission and purposes they want to pursue- to deliberately define their culture and the changes needed to realize that culture.

I told them to begin the experiment we need to answer two questions. What is each of our purposes or missions as individual Masons? And, in light of our purposes as individuals, what is the Lodge’s purpose or mission and what should the Lodge experience be in order to accomplish it? I thought I already knew the answers to these questions and, though I intentionally didn’t share this with the brethren, I thought the lodge would in short order come to the same conclusions I did. I was mistaken. We had great participation that night with many brethren talking about what they liked and didn’t like about being a Freemason. They mentioned family traditions and being part of something bigger. They mentioned charity and fellowship with moral men. They mentioned history. But these comments weren’t my answer—that by studying the meaning of the ritual, symbolism, and philosophy of Freemasonry we can truly subdue our passions and improve ourselves in Masonry, we can lift ourselves up morally and especially spiritually—and I was initially a bit disappointed. I thought this, leading the brethren to my conclusions, will take longer than I thought. Two really significant things did come out of that evening though, an enthusiasm among the brethren to continue the discussions and a suggestion by one of the brethren that we devote time, at least forty five minutes, at the beginning of the next stated meeting to the discussion. This suggestion led to a motion later that evening that we devote time at the beginning of every second stated meeting of the month to continuing these discussions, still with the goal of documenting mission and vision statements.

 In preparation for the next meeting I asked the brethren to think more about what being a Freemason meant to each of them and we would continue our discussions in that vein. Something else happened though as well. I began to think at how I arrived at my conclusions as to what Freemasonry is and ought to be and I realized that it took me twenty-two years to arrive at where I am right now and truthfully I am still evolving. My experiences and studies in that twenty-two years are not the same as that of my Brethren. Their experiences and conclusions are the product of their experiences and studies and are as valid to them as mine are to me. When we arrived at the next stated meeting we started our discussions and the comments were already on a different level than the last meeting. The brethren talked about their feelings; how following in their uncles’ footsteps made them feel; how they felt about meeting and talking with brethren of different generations (I found out I am not in the younger generation anymore); how just being with each other made them feel. I began to re-think my emphasis on everyone agreeing to the same mission and vision. I began to think this was the important part—the brethren of the Lodge devoting themselves to learning and sharing with each other without worrying necessarily where that would lead. I began to think a better idea would be for us to just study and discuss and learn together and see where that led. So, I suggested to the Lodge that we continue to dedicate time at the beginning of each second stated meeting for discussion and study. I said that I would draft a statement for the Lodge to approve at our next stated meeting describing our commitment and suggested we begin our new program with study and discussion of the Grand Lodge of Illinois Intender program which is designed to teach the fundamentals of Freemasonry.

I formulated the statement and then something happened that confirmed to me the correctness of my new perspective on the way our lodge would execute Masonic Education. I was at another Lodge’s degree conferral one night when I noticed their business meeting agenda taped to the Master’s pedestal. It was dated from 1973, forty-five years ago. I had seen the same agenda in nearly every lodge I have been in. Nowhere on that agenda was anything about Masonic Education. Nowhere was there anything about studying Masonic symbolism or philosophy. Nowhere was there any indication of how Freemasonry was to go about making good men better. I realized that an existing lodge will not easily turn a corner quickly, nor should it be expected to. Will we ever document our mission, vision, and goals? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe those are not necessary. Maybe they would be the sort of static ideas that would still be taped to a pedestal forty-five years from now. But dedicating ourselves to devoting time to studying and discussing Masonic ritual, symbolism, and philosophy does change the experience in the Lodge. It does and will continue to change its culture. Dedicating ourselves to this does offer to each of us the opportunity to subdue our passions and improve ourselves in Masonry. It offers the members of the Lodge the opportunity to always reflect on what the Lodge is and what they it should be. That is the important thing and all you have to do is make time for it. The subjects a lodge might study are endless. We chose a readily available program already provided by the Grand Lodge to give everyone a good basic knowledge and understanding of Freemasonry. The important thing is we chose. We approved the statement and we began our studies and discussions September 18th. If you are in Danville, Illinois on the third Tuesday of the month, stop by and see how we are doing.

~BLP

Brian L. Pettice, 33° is a Past Master of Anchor Lodge No. 980 and plural member of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 in Danville, IL and an Honorary Member of a couple of others.    He is also an active member of both the York and Scottish Rites.  He cherishes the Brothers that have become Friends over the years and is thankful for the opportunities Freemasonry gives and has given him to examine and improve himself, to meet people he might not otherwise have had chance to meet, and to do things he might not otherwise have had chance to do.  He is employed as an electrician at the University of Illinois and lives near Alvin, IL with his wife Janet and their son Aidan.  He looks forward to sharing the joy the fraternity brings him with others.  His email address is aasrmason@gmail.com.