Jan 17, 2023·edited Jan 17, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
It's similar to another Masonic Fairy Tale I’ve heard, but with a different ending. It picks up after the little Lodge realized people were ‘voting with their feet’. They tried new things and took notes. Activities that were well attended, they did more of. Those poorly attended were not repeated. Required events were reimagined or unique/interesting elements added. Instead on relying on cable tow’s, they sought to entice through other member’s self-interest.
New men, interested in an organization geared towards their needs and actively providing value to the organizations members, sought initiation in that Lodge. The big Masonic group, acting in their own self interest, came to support the little Lodge's endeavors in order to attract these new men in their own group. By seeking to deliver on the value proposition of Masonry, they increased their membership, provided valuable services to improve their community, and inspired a new generation of men to carry on the little Lodges’ traditions. In hindsight, it wasn’t a lack of men or money but good ideas that saved the little Lodge.
The other day, when I shared about the reasons I found my way to Freemasonry, I mentioned that I knew a few men who were Shriners and that I was unaware that to be a Shriner, a man had to be a Mason first. Fast forward to becoming a Shriner myself and listening to these men bemoan about the lack of new members to replace those that had been called by the Black Camel. Yet I never saw any of these men sitting in Blue Lodge. Many forget that “We are them and they are us”.
It's similar to another Masonic Fairy Tale I’ve heard, but with a different ending. It picks up after the little Lodge realized people were ‘voting with their feet’. They tried new things and took notes. Activities that were well attended, they did more of. Those poorly attended were not repeated. Required events were reimagined or unique/interesting elements added. Instead on relying on cable tow’s, they sought to entice through other member’s self-interest.
New men, interested in an organization geared towards their needs and actively providing value to the organizations members, sought initiation in that Lodge. The big Masonic group, acting in their own self interest, came to support the little Lodge's endeavors in order to attract these new men in their own group. By seeking to deliver on the value proposition of Masonry, they increased their membership, provided valuable services to improve their community, and inspired a new generation of men to carry on the little Lodges’ traditions. In hindsight, it wasn’t a lack of men or money but good ideas that saved the little Lodge.
The other day, when I shared about the reasons I found my way to Freemasonry, I mentioned that I knew a few men who were Shriners and that I was unaware that to be a Shriner, a man had to be a Mason first. Fast forward to becoming a Shriner myself and listening to these men bemoan about the lack of new members to replace those that had been called by the Black Camel. Yet I never saw any of these men sitting in Blue Lodge. Many forget that “We are them and they are us”.