Membership Attraction and Retention This document was researched and presented at Avonlea-Rouleau Lodge #156 on April 11th, 2016. It was intended to be discussed and enhanced, and forwarded to the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan's Committee for Lodge Development and Renewal as a "rough ashlar" to be worked with, built upon, and ultimately shared with the general Brethren of Saskatchewan. In its present state, it is meant to inspire discussion and promote education and communication within your lodge for the general improvement of membership health. The Recent History of our Membership... The peak of masonic membership came in 1959 when there were 4.1 million masons in the U.S. and over 18,000 in Saskatchewan. Masonry thrived following World War 2 as the brotherhood that was felt by men in the service of their country was found again in Freemasonry. Since 1959, however, membership has declined every year. Currently, there are 1.2 million masons in the U.S. and 2555 in Saskatchewan. (1) Reasons for this decline have been studied, discussed, speculated over and complained about for more than 50 years. By the mid-1960's, leaders of the fraternity began asking themselves "what's the issue behind this decline?". Initially, a knee-jerk reaction came forth - it can't be an internal problem! Masonry hasn't changed! It still rests on solid core values of brotherly love, relief, and truth. Its tenets and landmarks have remained the same for 300+ years. Its society that has changed, not us!...and so society was studied and analyzed and publications speculated on why and how various ways societal changes had adversely affected masonic membership. The '60's were to blame, firstly...that was the rebellious era when the youth, especially, sought total freedom from all restrictions and organizations - so they didn't join freemasonry. Then the 70's and 80's were blamed in turn, for having their detrimental affects on the craft - double income families had no time, television was an attractive distraction, etc. The downward trend wasn't just in new memberships, though...there were membership retention problems, too. Men weren't staying in masonry, and they still aren't. In a 1999 paper, The Missing Master Mason, John Bolton reported that in 1950, master masons remained in masonry for an average of 20 years. In 1999, it was 3.7 years. So, another question arose - "is it an internal problem?". This launched a whole different approach to studying the issue. Hard, internal data was used to scientifically digest surveys, build pie graphs from historical statistics, and so on. Publications abound relating the many reasons why masonry has been detrimental to itself. A most recent study shows that masonry, if it continues on its present course of decline, will not be able to sustain itself past 2044. (2)
Years of studies have led researchers to certain conclusions relating to membership decline. the examples of elements that have led to the decline are (3)... A few of masonry is not consistent in its requirements to determine the qualifications of men who petition. (we needs to improve the process of guarding the west gate) masonry continues to believe that it must have large membership numbers in order to successfully exist. (if we can level off from the membership decline, can we be healthy with fewer numbers?) the quality of ritual is inconsistent members are bored at business meetings we know that men seek fellowship and masonic education outside the formal meetings (our regular meetings alone are not enough to fulfill the needs of our members). we fall short in fulfilling our masonic education responsibilities to new and veteran masons (the vast majority of surveys indicate that men seek more traditional education). Supporting Traditional Education... Let's look back again for a better understanding...in the 1950's there was a massive membership increase and as a result, or repurcussion, certain things slid...something had to give. Certain traditions and the emphasis on education began to decline. There was a huge increase in the amount of ritual work required, but, as well, slack investigations arose for the sake of expediency. But, no one complained because business was booming! - if numbers are up, all is good...right? As membership began to decline through the 1960's, however, something had already taken place. Many masons who had become leaders in those years were products of the massive influx...they had started their Masonic journeys differently than those who had come before them. Not everyone received what had been a more fundamental Masonic education or experience. They were exposed to the growing practise of rushing through the degrees and receiving a lesser foundation than in the decades earlier. Some protocols and practises were set aside and even forgotten within a short time period. Soon, fewer men were being admitted and only that which was learned by the leaders was passed on to the next generation. A few decades of this practise has led us to the present way of thinking that this is how its always been. Every time a copy is made, it loses some detail from the original. John Bizzack offers, in his book For The Good of the Order, that masonic education has been neglected and is the major cause for why men leave the fraternity. He explains that the publication entitled "The Builder" used to be THE primary tool for masonic education in North America (published from 1915-1930). Its material was based on education of the degrees, symbolism within the craft, and
assimilating lessons on freemasonry into men's lives. It was pure, traditional and based on core ideologies. Times have changed and so has the content of today's more modern material. Publications have become more philosophical, filled with events and happenings, and a wider range of topics have become commonplace. So the hard education era tapered off and by the mid 1950's, education had moved from teaching about meaning of ritual to teaching about "cool" things like famous masons. The MSA, the Masonic Service Association, began in 1918 and produced the "Short Talks Bulletin". Its subject matter changed over time, too, and became more about lodge protocol, mechanics of ritual, and Grand Honors. By the 1980's and 90's, only 5% of Short Talks Bulletins were about meaning of degrees and symbolism. In 1981, only 12 of 300 editions published covered subjects of more depth. (4) Stephen Dafoe wrote a paper in 2005 entitled "Reading, Writing, and Apathy: The Rise and Fall of Masonic Education". He proclaimed that "to educate masons, educated masons are needed and we haven't been educating masons since World War II in the ways that we were during the glory days of prominent masonic publications as "The Builder" and MSA "Short Talks Bulletin". Further support is given by Leon Zeldus in his 2009 publication entitled, The Future of Freemasonry,... "an institution founded on fellowship offers so little of it outside its formal meetings. Yet lodges practising a more traditional approach under their grand lodges report a 85-90% attendance consistently while an average lodge may experience an 85-90% absence". In summary, history and statistics can help assess our current state and we can use them to our condition towards healthier membership in our lodges. improve Retention and Attraction... It is commonly believed that retention and attraction are two separate things...and they are. Encorporating traditional education into our lodge programs will certainly help with retention of members...and I do believe that we must work hard to retain what we've got, and get into a healthy membership situation, before we can confidently and deservedly take in new candidates. Martin Faulks stated that "we will only get more men into Freemasonry, if we get more Freemasonry into men".(5) A survey referenced to by John Bizzack (6) indicates that masons, particularly new masons, want the fraternity to provide some basic opportunities... greater fellowship and opportunities to make new friends who are like-minded and trustworthy a large room atmosphere where etiquette and formality play a significant role. more masonic education and deep discussion leadership opportunities
more civic involvement via community philanthropy where they can feel proud of lodge accomplishments improved floor work and ritual value-added meetings with interesting programs greater family involvement in the lodge All of these points are attainable with some changes to our programs and processes...but I believe that we should feel obligated to respond to the desires of masons, particularly new masons, as needs...as in, if we don't provide these basic needs, we will lose them. As Bizzack's list came about by a survey(s), maybe we can find out the detailed needs of our brethren by creating a survey for each of our own lodges. Every lodge has it's own programs, annual events and celebrations whereby it's public image is enhanced by good masonic conduct and assistance to the community. It is in this regard that the fraternal bond is expanded. I am reminded of the allusion to the successful hockey team where the players get to know each other on and off the ice. A brotherhood is nurtured which helps them gel as a team and leads them to be more successful. We must remember to be diligent in the inclusion of all members. A poor example of this came at the Baltimore Convention of 1843. At those meetings, the leaders passed a motion whereby all lodge business must be performed in the 3rd degree, thereby excluding all entered apprentices and fellowcrafts. It must not have had a very beneficial effect on membership retention, at the time! In consideration of attracting new candidates, let's begin by questioning what the general public's image of Freemasonry might be. How are we perceived today? A 2011 study by the UGLE showed that most men don't know anything about freemasonry, but that 49% would like to know more (7). So, if most men don't know anything about it, why would they join? They would need to have sufficient initial accurate information presented in such a way as to entice them to inquire further. We need to plant the seed in a way that is intriguing, give facts, and answer questions in a manner that keeps us faithful to our obligations. I, personally, would rather divulge accurate information than have anyone resort to the internet to find answers to their questions, considering the frequency of unreliable sources found there. If freemasonry is generally unknown, then we must also be doing a great job of keeping our secrets! Ahh, there's the rub! I believe that we have extrapolated our traditional beliefs about secrecy to mean that we can't say anything about freemasonry to a non-mason...and that just isn't true. I think that generally speaking, we don't know what we can or can't reveal about our craft, so we don't say anything which has led to the public's impression of masonry as a secret club. A new movement exists that swings to the opposite end of the spectrum whereby the doors of masonry are kicked wide open, disclosing everything... full transparency of all aspects of the craft except for the true secrets (the
grips, tokens, and words). Is this too much, though? I believe some promotion of freemasonry is important. Some areas have promoted masonry by holding open houses, radio and newspaper notices,...even the campaign "2B1, ask1" is an advertisement of sorts. I think that proper promotion is required to get our share of attention in this day and age of distractions. We will certainly miss out on potential candidates if we continue to rely on "pure curiosity and Dan Brown novels" (Bizzack, 2015) to bring them to our door. In our initial presentation to an inquiring mind, how shall we define freemasonry? Quite often, it is described from a negative perspective. That is, we often describe what it is NOT...it is not a religion, it is not political, it is not a community service group... as if we are in defense of a negative public image. We can all help with a more positive image by promoting our craft from a positive perspective - after all, we masons already know s tref our craft's tremendous value. Perhaps we need to be prepared with a short introduction or description of masonry that we can practise and, thereby, feel more comfortable in promoting that positive image. Ask a veteran mason or senior lodge member for help with this. At very least, we should all feel comfortable relating our own personal story of freemasonry to a potential candidate. Tell him why you became a mason, and why you remain one. Tell him of the benefits it has brought to your life; the rewards of it's relief, it's principle tenets, it's history and values. Answer his questions within the parameters of your obligation and you will have done well. If a man can honestly vow that he comes of his own free will and accord...that it is wholly his decision to join..then you have violated nothing in what you have revealed to him. After all, a new initiate is made to declare that "...unbiased by the improper solicitation of friends, and uninfluenced by mercenary or unworthy motives, you freely and voluntarily offer yourself a candidate for the mysteries and privileges of ancient freemasonry?" (8) This brings us to the word "solicitation"...a word that we are indeed cautious of. We may advertise and promote but not "solicit" new members. The states of Washington, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona, and Kansas do not prohibit a mason from neutrally approaching a suitable candidate. The Grand Lodge of England authorizes it, too, within the limits of prudence and common sense. No sales talks, no urging, no pushing, no promising...and no stalking! I think that generally speaking, from the perspective of most masons, this is still too ambiguous, and more details are required. Let's ask the Grand Lodge Committee for clarification. What are our limitations in this regard? What are the parameters for approaching carefully selected potential masons to offer them enough valid information from which they can decide whether to knock on our west gate, or not? OK...let's say that we now have our guidelines as to how we can approach and what can be said. Is this going to assure us that only hi-caliber men will knock? No - we will continue to get men of all personalities, types and from all walks of life just as masonry has always had. We still need to be highly discerning in who we talk to and how we investigate those who do submit a petition. We cannot fall into the old trap of relaxing our entrance criteria and methods just to increase our membership numbers. Lower standards lead to reduced retention. It's a matter of quality versus quantity. In the state of Ohio, in April 2002, within 8 different lodges
across the state, 7734 master masons were raised in one day. This is called a One Day Conferral and has been performed more than once. While this event goes a long way to boost membership numbers, the statistics show that the months following these conferrals indicate a very high rate of demits, unpaid dues, and truancy. (9) It indicates that the infrastructure is not in place to support the necessary retention-type elements that are required. Matt Nelson's statistics report that the average longevity of a mason today is 2.7 years(10) and James T. Morse proclaims that an average of 8 out of 10 masons will leave the craft. (11) So we are not without our challenges. When considering the challenge of attracting prospective candidates, yet another interesting question comes to mind... is the type of man that masonry needs harder to find in today's society? It is a different society, for sure, and seems to be ever changing. The "millenials" of this information age have access to all of the information ever recorded in the world. They want instant answers, presented in a nutshell format, and they expect to get it. If they can't access it, they will move on. However, I believe that these men are still looking for something that masonry can help to find. They are still, at some point in their lives, asking the age old questions...who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I now? Where am I going? In the UK, in 2015, Dr. David West found that 50% of all 18-35 year olds don't know if they believe in God. Half of that age group, then, has no religion. Furthermore, 64% of all 24 year olds are athiest. (12) Religion, it seems, is growing out of popularity as a means of attaining answers. Religion used to teach morality and values. Who is teaching it now outside our homes and schools? Masonry does!... it offers a non-religious venue for contemplation and introspection. So when these "seekers of light", who may not even know they are seeking light, happen across your lodge's website, or notice your masonic ring, or wonder what the square and compass indicate...we need to be ready to receive them in a manner that fulfills them and retains them. We need to listen to what new initiates are telling us (13)... They want to feel that they are part of the lodge (inclusion and relevance) they want guidance in their search for more light (leadership) they want communion of fellowship in all aspects of their masonic experience (brotherhood) they want models to pattern themselves after (role models) they want an understanding of ritual and tradition so that their lives are improved. (education) If we listen to our new initiates, we can tailor our internal methods to meet their needs. If we take care of their initial needs, we will be on the right track towards a proper masonic experience for these future leaders of our craft. Remember that only a very few initiates can accomplish this kind of fulfillment on their own...but" why should they have to struggle alone in an institution that prides itself
on inclusiveness and fellowship" (Bizzack, 2013). Mentorship is a proven tool that works to retain membership. Some lodges have a mentorship program and others don't. If the Grand Lodge has a program in place for it's lodges, I challenge the Lodge Development and Renewal Committee to review it, bring it up to date if needed, and ensure that each lodge knows of the value it has for membership education and retention. Other programs of this type include the Brother-to-Brother Program launched in 2003 by the Grand Lodge of Canada. It was designed to do 3 main things: retain the interest of brethren who have been masons for less than one year revitalize and maintain the interests of brethren who attend lodge regularly or irregularly renew the interests of those brethren who no longer attend Perhaps the committee can review this program, as well, and if found to have value for masons in Saskatchewan, encorporate it for the benefit of our lodges. Education In review of all of the data and sources for this paper, the one theme that constantly recurs is the need for retaining the members that we currently have. We need to stop the revolving door process of 80% of our brethren leaving within 2.7 years of entering through the encorporation of proven retention methods. If we bring in good prospects via diligent investigation, cater to their needs, offer kind fellowship, nurture them with a well-designed mentorship and education program based on traditional methods and subjests... perform our honest-to-god due diligence... then we will have masons and not just members! The reference to reclaiming our old traditional education is a very loud message. Functional masonic education and a return to more traditional fraternal aspects of the craft are paramount to member retention. A study has shown that Traditional Observance Lodges, European-style lodges, and Affinity Lodges use practises of various origins and have goals clearly centered on educational and spiritual development. Although their membership numbers are smaller, they consistently have very high retention. (14) Because education reappears time and again as a magical essentail element for membership retention, we need to feel obligated to provide basic, traditional masonic education to our brethren....but what is the definition of "basic" education? Who will administer and instruct it? What defines competent instructors? Will there be seminars and certificates upon completion? Perhaps these questions also need to be put to the Grand Lodge committee so that guidelines and definitions can be set. Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maine, New York, and California all have Grand Lodges that have courses and printed material for basic education, as well as specific guidelines for instructors. California has the
Institute for Masonic Studies and a basic Masonic Education course that can be accessed at www.freemason.org (15) In 2011, a task force at Lexington Lodge #1 in Lexington, Kentucky studied what the essential parts of a basic masonic education should include: origins and history of the fraternity and its development protocol and etiquette greater opportunity for discussion about masonic principles and core ideologies explanation of duties of lodge officers explanation of the grand lodge system explanation of constitution and bylaws greater indepth discussion of the interpretation of symbols and allegories greater indepth discussion of practical aspects of freemasonry recommended suitable reading and references greater exposure to opportunities to participate in fellowship, lodge services, and other events while advancing through the degrees The group met once per week and developed an instruction corp that included tiers of leaders, instructors, and mentors with tracking, surveys and follow ups. After 4 years, 84% of 29 men exposed to this program remain active and vibrant in lodge ( note: 5 of the 29 men moved to other states due to career responsibilities either during their degrees or after being raised). (16) As a conclusion, I will simply draw your attention to the list below. Success comes in many forms but effort is still required to attain it. As our Grand Master Abel described in the most recent Tracing Board, we must all be the change we want to see in masonry. We are invited to report our concerns and ask for help, put forth our ideas and share the work load so that we all move forward to healthier memberships, successful learning, and fulfilling masonic experiences. Successful Lodges Successful lodges are lodges that enjoy higher levels of retention and have these elements in common: they develop a mentoring program
these programs have been proven to decrease the number of men who leave the craft within the first 3 years they practice old rituals - like table lodges they have study groups of some form they have developed good communication via internet: promoting awareness of freemasonry, communicating with its members they support 1 or 2 significant community projects - this advances the fraternal bond and establishes a common purpose at a local level they perform exceptional floor work and ritual - shows pride in their dedication to the work they have an effective program of activities in and out of lodge that meets the interest and expectations of its members (and they have a way of finding out what those interests are via questionaire, surveys, Investigative Committee reports). Prepared and presented by W. Bro. Brad Meggison, Avonlea-Rouleau Lodge #156 April 11, 2016 Footnotes: 1.) Masonic Service Association (www.msana.com), Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan 2.) John Ruak, PM of Patriot Lodge, Fairfax, Virginia: presentation at 2016 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge, Elizabethtown, PA. 3.) John Bizzack, Ph.D., For The Good of the Order, Autumn House Publishing, 2015 4.) Ibid. 5.)Martin Faulks, Secrets of Freemasonry, UK 6.) John Bizzack, Ph.D., For The Good of the Order, Autumn House Publishing, 2015 7.) In The Chair Masonic Podcast, Robert Bone interviews Dr. David West, January 22 + 29, 2016
8.) The Work, 2007, Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan 9.) John Ruak, PM of Patriot Lodge, Fairfax, Virginia: presentation at 2016 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge, Elizabethtown, PA. 10.) Matt Nelson, Lodge Leadership: A 5 Step Guide to Masonic Reform, Star Publishing 2012 11.) James T. Morse, Building a Solid Foundation, The Trowel, spring 2013 12.) Dr. David West, Managing the Future of Freemasonry, Hamilton House Publishing, 2015 13.) John Bizzack, Ph.D., For The Good of the Order, Autumn House Publishing, 2015 14.) Ibid. 15.) John Bizzack, Ph.D., Taking Issue, CreateSpace Independant Publishing, 2015 16.) Ibid.