The Truth About Lodges & Members

What is the actual relationship between the Lodge and it’s members?

Often we think they are one and the same, and to an extent, this is the case, but it’s not the whole picture.

The actual relationship is vastly different and when we realise the nature of this relationship, then focus on nurturing it and acting within the structure of the relationship the lodge will start to function much more effectively.

What happens when we function within this relationship, the answer is that members will be engaged. Engaged members are retained. Retained members who are engaged bring in new masons.

In this Edition of Daily Masonic Progress I will reveal the actual relationship between a Lodge and it’s members, why understanding the nature of that relationship is the key to a successful lodge and how to nuture this relationship to grow your lodge.

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But first, let’s take a look at what is a Lodge because without knowing this, we can’t fully understand the relationship between the lodge and it’s members.

In order to form a Lodge, a group of Masons who are all members of another lodge must petition the Grand Master for a Warrant of Constitution. The petition contains the Officers of the Lodge was well as a number of other Brethren, the foundation members.

When the Warrant is issued, this is what gives the Lodges it’s existence and it can then regularly (legally) hold it’s meetings and perform the three key functions it’s warranted to which are Initiate, Pass and Raise Men in Freemasonry to Make Masons.

However, who does the Grand Master entrust this warrant to? Well before the Grand Master grants a warrant, the petition will need to specify who is the Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Warden are, as well as who are the other officers of the lodge. Then after the lodge has been consecrated, an Installation of the Master will occur which the Grand Master then entrusts the Warrant to the Worshipful Master.

The Master then invests his officers, including his principle officers being the Senior and Junior Warden who assist him in the well ruling and governing of the lodge.

Right at the very end of the Installation, there are three Addresses. The first is to the Master, second is to the Wardens and the third is to the Brethren. These addresses spell out publicly the duties and responsibilities of everyone involved in the Lodge.

From the entire process of making a lodge, we learn that what a lodge is, is actually a group of masons who wall want to be recongised as one combined entity for the purpose of working & practicing Freemasonry. But within this entity of Masons, there are two distinct groups, which are highlighted in across each of the three Addresses — those who Rule & Teach being The Master, Wardens & Officers and those who submit and learn being the Members.

However the problem is, most Lodges and by defacto, most Masons fail to actually listen to these addresses. We sit in the Installation ceremony and we hear them, some are pleasing to listen to, some are delivered exceptionally but we never really listen to these addresses and understand what they are instructing us to do.

This results is many lodges not functioning correctly, and we end up being disfunctional. You have the members running the show through management meetings and veto’s idea’s and motions under the threat of resignation if they don’t get their way while the Master, Wardens and Officers feel like they can never get anything done to improve the lodge. We are then all blinded by the fact that opening, working and closing the lodge is somehow a measure of success.

Opening, working and closing the lodge is like breathing, it should just happen naturally and subconsciously. If you think breathing is a success, consider what state of health and stage of life someone is at when taking a breath is successful.

Where we end up is, because everyone hasn’t fallen into line within the role they are meant to perform, the lodge is basically functional-chaos. You can argue that it’s functional, but masonry is all about coming to order (think about the words in the opening of the lodge) to remove the chaos of the profane world.

Functioning chaos means poor engagement, poor retention, poor aquisition and a shrinking lodge instead of a growing one.

Now we understand that the role of the Principal Officers of a Lodge is to rule & teach the members, while the role of the members is to submit and learn from the Principal Officers, only then we can then start to form the basis of what a functioning relationship between the lodge and its members are.

Take a step back and think for a moment, what does it meant to rule & teach as well as submit and learn? Well the combination of rule and teach means the principal officers of the lodge are there to serve the members, while the combination of submit and learn is there to direct the members to be served and to learn from the instruction they’re given.

The whole point of this dualistic nature is so that the brethren can then, through practicing the progressive science of Masonry, progress through the officers to then impart their learning to the next generation, Masonry is cyclical and designed beautifly to be perpetual.

How do you exactly nurture this relationship between the Lodge and its members?

It’s like any relationship, it’s like any business. You need to be meeting the needs of the members. Those basics are ensuring your lodge is productive with degree work every month. It’s ensuring that you give each Candidate their own special night. No doubles, tripples or multiple of any degree work. It’s proactively communication, it’s taking them out to experience Masonry, its making sure they’re learning by educating them on the practices of masonry so they understand the lessons in our ceremonies and can apply them in their own life.

In short, it’s brotherly love.

Make your lodge worth going to. Make the south special so the members enjoy it. Make the degree work exceptional so it’s worth going to. Build genuine friendships with each memeber and make sure they’re taken care of especially when they come to lodge. Everyone who comes to lodge has a million other things they could be doing, so show them and prove to them that their sacrifice of coming to lodge was worth it.

For once you are finished in office, you will revert to being a member. You must put in place the things that would make coming to lodge and being a freemason an exceptional and excellent experience because if you don’t, how do you expect the next brother to sit in your chair to, if you didn’t care enough to serve him!