Sustainable Leadership Beyond 2020

Brethren, Before we introduce our next Masonic Education topic, let’s review the first 2 lessons in the “Lodge of the Future” series of Lesson Plans and Lodge Education Topics. 

In Lesson 1, you should have gathered your Lodge membership data and determined how your Lodge will address your Membership trends, Dues and Lodge Expenses, Membership Communication so as to determine where you are today and begin thinking about your Lodge.  At current Membership levels how long will your Lodge be sustainable.    

In Lesson 2, Membership Engagement, we raised the questions and your Lodge should had discussed how to improve Membership Value, Communication, and how to better care, one for the other as promised.  It is all about improving communication with all your members and getting them involved and engaged.

Lesson 3, Sustainable Leadership is being introduced and the Masonic Education Lesson Plan can be found at www.scgrandlodgeafm.org under the Resources Tab.

Let’s begin by asking the important question of how many new members raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason in the last 5 years are active in your Lodge today?  From the travels of our Grand Lodge officers, District Deputy Reports and discussions, it appears that most of our new members are joining us and not active in our Lodge Leadership as officers or committeemen. Is it possible we have failed to set ALL the craft to work and give good and wholesome instruction?  In discussion with new members from various Lodges, we make an impression when they receive their degrees.  Some report favorable impression, while others report less than favorable experience and voice concern. 

Sustainable Leadership is another critical item for us to consider for the Lodge of the Future.   Who will be the officers and will they be successful beyond 2020?  Will your lodge have qualified men to serve as leader of their peers or will we continue to rotate leadership roles between our Past Masters, who continue to serve the Lodge.

Sustainable Leadership, in the Lodge setting, is all about the process of selecting, engaging, and training members who will lead our Lodges by serving the membership, and consistently improving the Quality of the Lodge Membership.  This is an important task for the Past Masters and Officers to work together with an eye to the future of the Lodge.  Too many times we see a rift between the generations with one side on “That’s the way we have always done it” and “What if we tried new ways to get members involved.”  I am here to say, in my opinion both are correct!  We need structure and tradition, if and only if the tradition is good and follows our specific ritual, and also new ways to get members involved.

So our Lesson plan will offer some discussion topics to help develop our new members for future leadership.  It will come at a price.  The price is giving of ourselves, as current Leaders and Officers, to assign ritual parts to the newest members, coaching does not stop with the completion of catechism! By sharing the proper and correct way to delivering the important lesson is our great care and one that helps get members on the path to effective leadership.  It comes at a price of assigning our newest members to investigation committees with seasoned members, to teach how to work with a new candidate and his family on Lodge membership.  It comes at a price by assigning new members to committees on how to balance needs of the Lodge and the financial resources to get the job done, or to positively impact the image of the Lodge to our members, our families and our communities.  Step by step we learn and teach.  Step by step we approach the East and making a positive impact as a leader. 

Finally, Servant Leadership is about leading for a short time your peers or your brothers, and having a positive influence.  Servant Leadership is about helping others be better than themselves.  In the Scottish Rite Easter Sunday Service we close with the following charge from the Leader, “May the Peace of Our Master be with you and remain with you always.  It is always better to Love than to hate. Remember our duty is not to be better that others but to be better than ourselves, and the more we have the more we owe those around us who are in need.”  May your Lodge of the Future be filled with servant leaders, each in his turn contributing to the benefit of all the Lodge Members, Families and Communities, and by doing so with the right attitude, provide for the next generation of engaged, enlightened Servant Leaders for the Glory of God and betterment of each other.



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RWB Michael D Smith
Engaging Our Membership

Gentlemen, as we enter the “Dog Days of Summer” we are at the time and place in our Lodges to determine what our membership will be by year end and if we have members that are in danger of being dropped from our roles at the end of the year.  This is the time to both, review the results from the Masonic Education Lesson Plan, as found at www.scgrandlodgeafm.org under the Resources Tab, and to move forward in our series on the Lodge of the Future.  If your Lodge has not yet discussion your actual Lodge statistics and direction for the future, the data that you will generate is vital to understanding your Lodge Future Success.

Start now with your plans to visit every member who is in danger of dropping membership, and determining why they are in arrears.   

The key issue facing us today is how best to maintain our members and engage them.  This is best performed today with an appropriate use of email and website communication to ALL of our members.  It is very unusual today to find any Lodge in our Grand Jurisdiction that has more than 20% of members attending meetings.  Why so few attendees? What do we deliver to our members at meetings?

If, as promised, we are to support one another and continue to improve and enlighten our membership, so then why are they not coming to our Lodge? 

We hear the typical responses, but often not supported by real facts and truth.  Health issues, work obligations, and relocation are legitimate and often heard, but what about those other members that we do not see anymore, or in some cases ever!  I submit, that like me, many Lodge Officers have members that they have never met!  These are often the very members that are questioning the Value of Lodge membership and predictably more likely to drop from our roles.  While it is incumbent on all members to support their lodge, many report that they feel little or no connection to the Lodge.  We must work to improve the Lodge Experience, with more time together, giving every member a responsibility to the Lodge and providing more for our members.  Better Education, more discussion, better time spent together over a good meal at Lodge and even in other settings.        

Now let’s address ways to engage members that are not active with us but are still our brothers and lodge members. It will take work and effort.

For us to establish a platform for growth and stability, we must address the issue of Creating Membership Value.  We must communicate with all of our members with regular frequency with meaningful information and encouragement to remain active and engaged. We must make our meetings more than meet, read minutes, pay bills and go home.  We must recreate the environment of Brotherhood, Fellowship, Education and Support for all of our members with valuable experiences.  In essence, we must create an environment where members WANT to come to our meetings.

In the Masonic Education Lesson Plan Number 2 - Engaging Members, we offer a Lodge Education topic and action plans to create an opportunity for improved communications and engagement.  Get it at www.scgrandlodgeafm.org  

Will your Lodge become a place where we can come together, learn from each other and enjoy being part of something greater than ourselves and make a difference to our members, our lodge, and our community?

Before we address how to add new member, we must make Lodge Membership a meaningful and rewarding experience for all of our members.

Brethren, thank you for your work to improve the Lodge Experience and Advance toward a successful Lodge of the Future.  Share your results! 

 

MASONIC EDUCATION LESSON PLAN                                                           NUMBER 2

OUR LODGE OF THE FUTURE – ENGAGING MEMBERS

BACKGROUND:  Engaging our Current Members is Critical to our Long Term Success.                                        

ISSUES:            How well we improve and deliver Membership Value will determine our Future Success!

NEEDS:            Freemasons expect and want more value from the Lodge Experience!                 How can your Lodge improve membership engagement?

FACTS:             Lead a discussion with the members at your meeting to address the following;

1.  How can we improve communication with our members?
   
   
   1. Email your members to inform them of the next Lodge Meeting
      
      
      1. Plan and upgraded meal and let them know
         
         
      2. Plan a special education program and let them know
         
         
      3. Invite a guest speaker to present a program.
         
         
      4. Recognize a member at the meeting and let them know.
         
         
   2. Phone Calls to your members to invite those that don’t have email.
      
      
      1. Let them know you are calling on behalf of the Lodge
         
         
      2. Let them know that they are missed and invite them to come
         
         
      3. Offer to bring them if they need a ride.
         
         
   3. Email or Mail an regular newsletter to members
      
      
   4. Have a Member Breakfast and invite your members to come.  Have a Lodge Status Report and Project List for their involvement.
      
      
   5. Start a Supper Club outside of Lodge to invite members and spouses in a Dutch Treat dinner to build relationships.                                           
      
      
2. How to create some membership value with the community?
   
   
   1. Once a quarter, invite one of your local service groups (Firemen, Police, EMS, VFW, etc.) to attend a special meal before your regular meeting, especially if you have members in the service group.  They get to invite peers and involves them in the plan as well. 
      
      
   2. Invite a local merchants, town council or school administrators to the Lodge to a dinner prior to the meeting.  Recognize an accomplishment of the group.  Be a positive supporter.
      
      
   3. Sponsor a Local Charitable Project and promote with your town.
      
      
   4. Invite a local Sports team to the lodge especially if they have won conference title or other reason to celebrate community.
      
      
   5. As a Lodge, schedule and attend your officers church services together, recognize the Lodge members in the church.                            
      
      These are but a few ways to get your Members involved, engaged, and improve awareness in with your members and the community.  Try at least one of these but whatever you do, focus on raising the bar on member value. ​