A Template for True Freemasonry

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor

Scott S. Dueball

In my response to one of the latest in a string of blog posts decrying "Freemasonry is dying" in attempt to garner internet traffic, I said that I am becoming exhausted by the endless complaints regarding our decrease in membership alongside a void of actual work and solutions. Quite frankly, these posts have no vision. “Who are we shouting at to fix the problems?” I asked. We should all know that this isn’t likely to grab the attention of Grand Lodge Officers who, in their defense, do not have the means to truly address the supposed problem. This problem (if you want to call it that) will be best addressed by individual Masons and individual Lodges who care enough about survival that they are willing to make programming changes to address the changing needs of the market. In saying that, it occurs to me that some lodges have figured out the template for future success while a majority of well-meaning lodges are spinning their wheels trying to figure out what to do. You have to do more than say you want change and expect someone else to enact it.

While I was in college, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) hosted a speaker for all of Greek Life. This speaker, in an admittedly hokey manner, brought a textbook, a sweater, and a water bottle. He said the textbook represented out ritual. The sweater (with greek letters) represented our membership (or Brotherhood) in our respective Fraternities. The water bottle represented the social element of our organizations. These three components make up the the Fraternity experience. However, the individual chapters only function when stacked in the proper order. He demonstrated that when you use the bottle as the base, the sweater and the textbook will not balance. He then showed that if you use the textbook as the foundation upon which the sweater and the bottle can rest, your organization will maintain equilibrium.

Similarly, in Masonry, the ritual (textbook) must serve as the foundation for everything else we do. It is what makes the Craft. The brotherhood (sweater) can flourish with the ritual as a unifying foundation and only then can social activity (again, the bottle) be introduced. Freemasonry has these mixed in various orders. We lead our pitch thinking that we must show potential-Masons that we have fun and we donate to charity. We might talk about how George Washington was a Mason. To establish these things, we work hard to make social activity and Brotherhood a reality in our lodges. Eventually, we have brought new brothers in on the pretense of these activities alone without properly addressing that Masonry is a body of philosophical instruction. BROTHERS, this is summary of mid- to late- twentieth century Freemasonry establishing how we arrived here today.

What I find, is some of the most well-meaning brothers recognize the need to bring back education while still deprioritizing it below membership by shortcutting the paths to true enlightenment through the use of a number of non-ritual-centric practices. I hear those apologists say, “after all, who will we teach if we don’t have any members left?” We would be better served by initiating only those who seek the true path of Masonic enlightenment; those ones who will still fill our temples when the dust settles. Anything grander than this is in conflict with what the Entered Apprentice degree teaches us about our ego (buildings, membership, Grand Lodge viability).

In the decade and a half since I heard the above lecture, I have been shown it's truth time and again. I firmly believe that those lodges who have prioritized along the stated pattern (ritual>brotherhood>social) are the ones who will remain when the dust settles. In marketing terms, the unique value proposition that we offer is an intiatic experience coupled with a moral doctrine. We have the market on this product if we position ourselves as such. My close friends and Brothers know I like great dinners but that isn’t the unique product the Craft provides. You don’t need to be a Freemason to find a good meal. We aren’t unique in our charitable giving nor in our programs for youth. We have to lead with the unique value that only we can provide.

The successful template for True Freemasonry is in the ritual. The ritual provides for spiritual growth. The ritual provides for love among brothers. The ritual provides for convivial meals. But it is essential that we discuss, treat, and run our Craft in that order. If you are an LEO, teach the ritual. If you are a DEO, teach the ritual. If you are a brother who loves the Craft, teach the ritual. It is on each of you.

~SSD

To Reinvest Or Start Anew?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor 

Robert H. Johnson

Today's article is not an article really, it's a question. I hope you all decide to voice your insights either below in the comments or on social media. Over the years we've heard countless folks talk about the benefits of an active lodge, but how do we get there? Many times lodges are in bad shape, financially and often times worse, with active membership. This can lead a man to view his membership with the specific lodge as unfulfilling, boring or even disdain.

Now, consider yourself the active member who still wants Freemasonry in his life. The question is put to us, what do we do when we decide that we still want to be active? We still want to enjoy those things that [our brand] of Masonry offers, whether it be a focus on some aspect of community, charity, education or perhaps fellowship. But where are we going to get it?

We have a few options. First, we can look for a lodge that exists which is doing what we want. This sounds easy, but maybe it isn't. Survey the lodges around you, are they really everything you want and nothing you don't? Maybe they are, and if so, you're done reading this article.

Our second option is the reinvention model. You're going to start a new lodge. Alright, well maybe not yet. It's been suggested by many that instead of getting everything together and chartering a new lodge, that we should instead look for a lodge that is in the dumps and take it over. Reinvigorate it, reinvent it. Is this for you? Will it work? Maybe the existing members will welcome this and it will work out perfectly... Or, it could be messy. We'll have a lot to clean up. Is this too much work for us? Maybe we love a challenge.

Of course the third option is to just start a new lodge. Write some bylaws, get some guys together, figure out where you will meet, get certified on ritual  and fill out the paperwork. Sounds easy enough but don't forget all the other hard work here. Gathering furniture, administrative work and red tape.

What's the best option?

I recently had a chance to ask a Grand Secretary about what he thought about new lodges, and if there is an impact for the better in terms of membership numbers and his answer surprised me. He offered me some thoughts on what the numbers prove in terms of new lodges. He said, "What we see when a new lodge is formed, is additional plural memberships and then sometime down the road, there is a dimit from the mother lodge and the guy maintains only a membership with the new lodge."

I hadn't thought of that. Membership numbers is not what this post is about, but perhaps if you were in the line of thinking about starting a lodge simply to boost membership numbers in the state, maybe that's not the right idea. The Grand Lodge of California has made it pretty simple to start a lodge, but the availability of the data on whether or not it seems to work is likely a few years away. It would be interesting to see if this model keeps members engaged, recruiting and active, thus sustaining what the members got together for in the first place. I'd like to leave you all with my final thought on the matter, and if you read my last piece, you'll know what to expect here. If we're doing any of the things outlined above, we really should be doing it for one reason, your own fulfillment.

So what say you? Do you reinvest, or do you start anew?

~RHJ

RWB, Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He is also a Past District Deputy for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is the co-author of "It's Business Time - Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry" and is currently working on a book of Masonic essays and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon.