It's no secret that Freemasonry is dying. All around the world we hear of stories of lodges being closed and charters being voided, lodges everywhere consolidating into smaller and smaller groups, and lodges that have hundreds on the roll only having 12 or 13 members turn out for regular communications. This is a problem that if left unaddressed, will lead to one of two things; the eventual crumbling of our fraternity from the inside out, or so little Masons left that Masonry becomes a diluted shell of its former self. Even though this is a serious issue, I believe that this can be corrected.
When I became a Mason, I was initiated, passed, and raised within a period of around four months. For the new Mason, this is great! You get to go through degrees back to back, you get to learn catechisms quick and turn them in and you get to wear a new kind/orientation of apron almost every meeting! It's definitely appealing to the young Mason to want to progress quickly. I would be lying if I said I didn't have that same type of mindset when I first joined the fraternity. I wanted to progress. I joined Masonry because of other people in my family having been Master Masons for a very long time. My member was a younger guy and a PM before 30. I wanted that so badly that I allowed myself to learn the catechism (which here consists of the Modes of Recognition, not any further questioning) and leave it at that for the sake of progressing rather than taking time to learn the information. Looking back, I'm sure I was encouraged to progress that way, but I'm sure I could have taken it slower if I wanted to.
All of this led to me being extremely close to being burnt out on Masonry after just having been raised. This is a trend I've noticed not only in myself but in other Masons I've conversed with. However, with a changed mindset and the Junior Deacon seat and Lodge Education Officer positions awaiting me in 2020, I am starting to understand what can be done to bring energy back to our brotherhood and bring Masonry back on the incline. Here are five things I believe every lodge could do at their next meeting and beyond to ensure that brethren aren't burned out.
1. Encourage the studying of Blue Lodge symbols beyond what's written in the ritual.
One thing that I wish I had done a better job of doing was studying the symbols of Masonry deeper than the ritual. I have caught myself on numerous occasions consulting the ritual for the meanings of certain symbols rather than identifying the meaning of the symbol for its application. by learning to understand symbols based on how we can apply them as well as how they were explained to us during ritual will help us to understand them better overall. This will only increase the impact our profound symbols have on the candidate.
2. Bring education back into open lodge.
During my travels as a Mason, I have only been to a single lodge that has included Masonic Education in its open meetings. Sometimes it is included in passing during the meal, sometimes it isn't included at all. In order to maintain energy in our brotherhood we must revert back to making Masonic Education a part of our open lodge meetings. We should be always pursuing education through the seven liberal arts and sciences and always trying to learn. Without learning there is no progress. We cannot become better men if we only exercise our heart and not our minds.
3. Create multiple public charity events to get Masons back in the public eye.
By building a positive reputation within the community your lodge is in, you will then be able to draw membership from the community based on your example. If we are out in the community cleaning up trash, serving a pancake breakfast like some lodges do, or running a food drive every couple of months, our membership will rise dramatically simply based on the example we are setting in the community.
4. Encourage members to visit other lodges and see how they do things differently.
One of the brothers that mentored me took a few trips with me to lodges within my State and showed me the importance of travelling. By going to other lodges and becoming familiar with other brothers, we will then be able to see how they do things differently. We will be able to see what works and what doesn't work, and we will then be able to come back to our home lodges and either apply those things, or see if we're making the same mistakes they are and correct them. This goes for regular communications, degrees, special meetings, etc.
5. Take advantage of the digital age.
Technology has come a long way since Masonry began and it is important that we embody the progressive attitudes of the first Freemasons and refrain from shying away from the use of technology in lodge. Whether it be using a projector for an educational presentation or by using an email list to keep track of brethren who haven't shown up in a bit, technology in the lodge is becoming essential. Without understanding its importance, we are going against the very principles of innovation and progress that the many brothers before us chartered this fraternity on.
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With all of that said, the "rules and maxims" shown in Freemasonry are timeless. In my opinion, if we utilize the five above ways to keep brethren from being burnt out, we will continue to see influxes of members throughout our brotherhood as a whole rather than a few outliers here and there.
Bro. Matthew R. Ross
Battle Creek Lodge No. 12
Grand Lodge of Michigan, F.&A.M.
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