Overworked Boredom

David Countryman is a member of Arcadia Lodge #249 in Ames, Iowa. He is the Editor of the Ames Masonic Newsletter. We generally have a conversation when he calls to verify the calendar for the month. This article was written by him as a result of some of those conversations. We hope it will open up some thoughtful discussions. Jay

Overworked Boredom
By
David W. Countryman

Many Masonic Lodges could be described as overworked boredom. And this description could be the result of a misapplication of the 24-inch gauge. This is important to understand as we address Masonic membership retention in the Lodge.

First let me explain how the Lodge can be described as overworked boredom. There are two components of the Lodge: one component loses Masonic members by overwork and the other component loses Masonic members through boredom.

Let’s first examine the overworked component. This component is comprised primarily of the line and officers. Their jobs require that they attend stated meetings, plus degree work, plus other Lodge meetings and activities. There are 12 stated meetings per year. Lodges are proud of the fact that they bring in 10-15 new members per year. Degree work for 10–15 new members requires 30-45 meetings per year. There are other meetings required each year, such as installation of officers, Grand Lodge meetings, Lodge social functions, Lodge committee meetings, practices for degree work, etc. At 12 Stated Meetings per year, plus 30-45 meetings per year for degree work, plus 20 extra meeting per year for Masonic activities, the line and officers are committed to 62-77 meetings per year. That is over one day a week of required volunteer work. I have probably forgotten some meetings, so you can easily say that line and officers are committed to at least 75 meetings per year. For a seven-year commitment in the line to the position of Worshipful Master, that is a commitment of at least 525 meetings. The result is that a few have time for and thrive on this level of activity and the rest walk out of the Worshipful Masters position and never cast a shadow in Lodge again.

Turning to the second component, boredom, we see many young Masons raised and set on the sidelines to observe degree work. To many they are bored into leaving after observing many degrees that they have seen before. Remember, these young people grew up with speed and instant gratification, such as computer speed and instant contact through cell phones. How boring is it to set through degree reruns?

As Masons, individuals are taught to allocate their time according to the 24-inch gauge, allocating time into three equal parts for service of God and distressed worthy brothers, their usual vocations, and for refreshment and sleep. The two thirds of an individual’s time allocated to vocation and refreshment and sleep could be considered as accounted for such that Lodge must compete for a part of the remaining one third. If a Lodge has forced a component of its members to allocate their remaining one third of their time in a manner that shortchanges their family, their church, or their civic duty, has the Lodge appropriately applied the 24-inch gauge and its lessons?

Suppose that the Lodge could do more with less. Suppose, for example, that the Lodge were to quit practicing catch-and-release Masonry. Instead of bringing in 10-15 new members every year only to have 10 quit after a few years or contribute little to lodge activities, suppose the Lodge brought in five outstanding and dedicated new members a year that stayed with the Lodge and contributed their services to the activities of the Lodge. The Lodge would have the same future membership and the line would have been released from 30 meetings (read evenings) per year to allocate to family, church, or civic duty activities. The future Lodge would be the same size and it would be more firmly rooted in the community, positioned to influence community direction and development, similar to many of the Masonic forefathers that we currently look up to. To do this will require application of a high standard of membership selection. But maybe like the Marines, Masonry needs a few good men, which Masonry then makes better.

Turning to the component that is bored into leaving the Lodge, we get a different perspective. If five dedicated new members are brought into the Lodge as suggested above, only one of them is needed to fill the vacancy in Lodge activities created that year by the outgoing Worshipful Master and the upward movement within the Lodge. That leaves four new members that need a way to become a part of the Lodge such that it becomes “Their Lodge”. These new Masons need a job in the Lodge such as being on a committee whereby they can contribute and become a part of the team. One cannot become part of a team when Lodge consists of a “King” (King Solomon is a allegory or metaphor; not an absolute model), a “King’s Court”, and non-participating onlookers.

Lodge must become a team led by a Worshipful Master who writes upon the trestleboard with the help and input of the line and Lodge members and team members at a variety of levels contributing to the accomplishment of the Lodge’s mission and goals.

Not unlike the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, members contribute on committees at different levels. New members should be given tasks, jobs, and roles in the Lodge in which they can be successful and where they can interact with senior lodge members, learn Masonry, and reflect upon the Masonic lessons in the degree work. Thus, a new member should be given a job in the Lodge, but obviously not a leadership job anymore than an Entered Apprentice should be assigned Master Mason work. For example, new members should be given membership on Lodge committees of their choice, but not committee chair positions. These new members should be provided the opportunity to move up to jobs, like Lodge committee chair positions and maybe even the line, as they desire and are found worthy. For this to work, committees must actually meet and allow junior members to have input, volunteer, or be assigned jobs or tasks. Mentoring in Masonry is teaching a young Mason to replace the mentor in every job and task within the lodge, so the new member becomes a Master Member. The mentor is then free to move on to greater responsibilities in the Lodge.

The Master’s role in the lodge is not one of benevolent dictator who believes in the statement heard so often around the Lodge. “You are the Master you can do what you want.” Instead he becomes an organizer, a leader who suggests ideas and gets input from the other members and then leads them towards goals, mutually chosen, which all have invested in seeing accomplished.

As work of the Lodge is brought more into balance with the amount of time volunteers have to give and all members are encouraged to become involved in the Lodge at a level commensurate with their experience, talents, and capabilities, members of both components will tend to move from overworked boredom to dedicated and involved members of “Their Lodge”. Thus, the harmony of the Lodge will be established.