I imagine that many of us have encountered a Lodge that has mired itself in apathy. New men knock on the door yet bring no excitement. Good fundraisers are suggested, yet not pursued. Officers are needed for another term and must be drafted. The Lodge just sits, mouldering, apparently awaiting what it sees as its inevitable demise.
I’ve watched as good and experienced Masons join Lodges such as this, in an attempt to help out, but it doesn’t ever seem to work, the passion those new Masons bring ends up being stifled under the overwhelming weight of apathy.
I’ve seen these Lodges merge with their neighbors, assets and men are transfered, yet the men all just fade away.
Apathy kills Lodges.
Apathy also drives excited new Masons away if they are unfortunate enough to be initiated into such a Lodge.
Luckily it doesn’t happen very often, but when apathy does take hold of a Lodge it is an extremely serious problem. So, let’s chat about it…
How can a Lodge that has fallen into widespread apathy be helped?
How can a Lodge ensure that its members remain excited and avoid becoming apathetic?
This is the question I have been asking about two different lodges I belong to.
As a junior officer I try to bring new ideas create new public events. But all I'm met with is "great, do it all yourself."
I have come to the conclusion that in these lodges, I have fraternity brothers, but not friends. We carry on the work of the lodge out of a sense of duty and responsibility. Yet at the same time resent each other for being drafted, being "stuck", if you will. So much so that I have made it clear, I will go to the south when I want to; not when I'm told to.
I think that your decision to not go into the South until you are ready to do it is excellent. I had an odd trip through the officer chairs myself, which included a couple years on the sidelines before becoming a Warden, due to a move across the State.
I found that time, watching and learning, to be extremely valuable when I did eventually take leadership of my Lodge.
It has never seemed a good thing to me when Lodges push men through the chairs before they are ready for, or want, those duties.
Apathy starts at the top. If a leader just can't cut it, it cascades down into the membership. The unfortunate fact is that for some Lodges, people wind up at the top of the line who are totally unqualified. There are three types of leaders. The first is the traditional top-down leader who dictates form, function and culture (vision, mission, values). If he fails at this, organizational gridlock forms and brothers wind up not caring or participating. Then there are the trophy-hunters. They are there for the glory and honor and the Lodge be damned. This is the most destructive kind of leader who fosters not only apathy but feet leaving out the door. A true leader who inspires is a servant leader. A servant leader, leads from behind and encourages active members and coaches brothers to succeed. A servant leader creates an active lodge that fosters and rewards engagement. We need more of these types of leaders and the way to get there is to create training that models desired leadership traits. This can be done at the Lodge level, the district or at Grand Lodge. But it must be done.
I agree with you that we need to continually improve our training of leaders, and I think that has to be done at all of the levels you mention. The Grand Lodge is good at putting on grand scale events, and those can be very valuable, but I don't think that they can be everything.
I think that if we are receptive to it, we do learn to lead. Heck, I think I learned a pretty important lesson this past weekend.
But, I think for lessons to stick we have to use them. For without use, we forget. I think that is where Lodge training is so powerful. Small, but very frequent. That helps the larger lessons to stick I think.
I also think that we must recognize that some men are unsuited to the East. We must, in our Lodges, Guard the East with the same diligence as we should Guard the West.
Another situation could be a new leader (or perhaps an older Past Master) who tries to inject new energy into a Lodge that, at that point, is not apathetic, but is regimented in the old way of doing things. The Lodge had decent attendance, had solid finances, but some Brothers noted that their way of doing things will not work in the long-term. One of those Brothers assumes the East and starts up some new ideas. And the ideas are GOOD ones! But they aren’t what the Lodge had been doing for the past 30 years, and it angers some of those old Brothers who consider the old way of doing things as their “comfort zone” of sorts. However, other Lodges note the good ideas of this Worshipful Master, and overall attendance increases significantly. The lodge is noted by the District, and then the Grand Lodge leadership, as revitalized, and the Worshipful Master starts inviting them, and they attend as well. To all outside the lodge, it appears this is the most successful Lodge in the area. Maybe even a model for others to follow. Indeed, the ideas are good models to follow.
However, the Lodge is dying on the inside, as the increase in overall attendance hides the decrease in attendance of the Lodge’s own membership. The old, formerly active members are not pleased about the decisions the Worshipful Master made, and have stopped showing up. After a year, the Worshipful Master hands the baton over to another Brother who shares the excellent ideas, and the success continues, but then those two Brothers note there’s nobody else in the Lodge that wishes to succeed them, but then those two Brothers wind up in situations (good or unfortunate) that require them to change their focus to other areas, so they can’t continue to lead the lodge. In a short order, what appeared to be the most successful Lodge in the area now is in BIG trouble. Nobody’s showing up to the Stated Communications. No programs. No education. Just a handful of those old members trying to reset things to where they used to be. But now, the other Lodges, and the newer members of that Lodge, do not want to go back to what didn’t work. The Lodge knows it’s now in dire straits, and rather than try to figure out what to do, they point the fingers at those two Brothers who “ruined the Lodge.” Contention and apathy abound, and the Lodge is approaching being unsalvageable.
But what can the Lodge do now? Other Masons from adjacent lodges could take out dual memberships, but they know that if they reintroduce those ideas that worked, they’ll get no support, as they realize what happened when those two Brothers were leading the Lodge, they were in fact doing all the work themselves. The Lodge might try to merge with another Lodge, but then you might get resistance, as those old-timers might think the old way might get them back to the way it was 30 years ago, however unreasonable that might sound to those of you who are reading this. And the adjacent Lodges might view this Lodge as “kryptonite,” a Lodge full of toxicity that might infiltrate their own Lodge, potentially dragging it down as well. The only remaining option would be surrendering their Charter, or worse yet, not being able to comply with the Code regarding elections, installations, paying their bills, etc, resulting in the Grand Master having to arrest their Charter.
This scenario brings up many questions – is there a way this Lodge could have been saved from the very beginning of this situation? Where is the point of no return? Addressing problems like this could go a long way of saving Freemasonry in many of our communities.
Well, we could amend the WMC to specify that not only do we never discuss politics and religion but was also never think or say "we haven't done it that way before". I know I'm asking a lot, but sooner or later every organization has to shed its skin.
Could it be that we consistently break our promise to ourselves? We say that we make good men better but perhaps the number one complaint is that we fail at providing interesting and impactful Masonic education. If our education doesn't illustrate how the lessons of our ritual and working tools can be used to lead a better and happier life then at some point why bother?
Yes, learn to properly present the ritual, but don't stop there. Learn what it means. Tear it apart phrase by phrase, or word by word, and as a group examine what it means to our lives. My Lodge is making a concerted effort to focus on education that's relevant to how we build ourselves into better men. So far the Brethren seem pretty excited about this.
We promise that we will provide our Masons with the tools and support to improve themselves. We can do this through Masonic education. Many of our Lodges do provide this, but far too many do not.
We must always ensure that we are fulfilling the promises that Freemasonry makes, and I think the first step towards that is by making certain that every single Masonic meeting contains Masonic education, delivered in an environment that feels open and supportive to all who are there.
The scenario is a trap. Implicitly, we Masons tend to place value on harmony and conservatism (in the sense of following tradition, not political).
The scenario is a trap because these things can't be simultaneously honored. Bumping out of apathy almost always means substantial change, in which case harmony & conservatism will be at least to some extent offended.
I have seen many apathetic lodges, and a lot of good, open, honest, thoughtful discussion about what to do about it.
Yet lodges struggle mightily to actually *do* anything about it, because of this trap.
What if we were willing to reframe the question: what & who are we willing to offend in order to make progress in lodge? If the answer is no one, no progress will be made. Our intent isn't to offend for offense sake -- far from it, but it is just a recognition that conflict is necessary. Wise leadership has to choose which conflicts they want to engage in, but leadership doesn't get to avoid conflict, or choose no conflict.
Apathy sometimes equates to laziness. "Not my job," is a phrase I often hear in my lodge. Whose job is it to clean up the dishes, wipe the tables, and sweep the floors after the meetings? Whose job is it to put away all the tools, aprons, furnishings, and pick up all the candy wrappers? Whose job is it to vacuum the lodge room? I submit that it is ALL our job to do these things. Far too often, Brothers will stand around after the meeting, chatting with others, while work goes on around them, and never lift a finger to help make the work go quicker so we all can chat with Brethren and get home before midnight. I know of Past Masters of our lodge who have no idea where the mops and brooms are kept. "Not my job." Are the Stewards meant to be the only housekeepers? No. The work belongs to us all, and none of us should shirk that duty. Just my thoughts...
I think that the problem you outline is the case far too often, yet as I saw tonight, not universal.
I visited a Lodge tonight that included a fairly long informal meeting with refreshments after the Stated Meeting. It was a small turnout tonight, but an engaging conversation. The sole visitor eventually left, as did one member of the Lodge, but all the other members stayed to help clean up the dinner and refreshment mess. One Brother did put the finishing touches on the cleaning by himself, but only because he gave everyone else the boot.
The chores get done mighty fast when there are many hands helping.
Apathy to me is an emotional “outside of a social circle” feeling. Something I’ve felt a good part of my life. I don’t think of apathy as a good or bad thing, that also goes equally for passion or desire, it’s just the nature of mind and its emotion. Apathy, if balanced with empathy can be a good thing; to be able to see from a new perspective without drive of personal gain.
I love the esoteric mysteries of Freemasonry, but equally appreciate all the brothers who are in favor to the exoteric side; keeping the traditions of the craft on its simplest form. On my EA degree I was blown away by how many people where there (for me) with long and insightful words. At this lodge, I found a place where my personal journey wasn’t just encouraged but a way only meaningful to myself, much like how Joseph Campbell emphasized on the Hero’s Journey. It doesn’t matter to me if the lodge master, or anyone else gets Masonry as I understand it. Everyone has a personal journey, and no two paths are alike, that’s the beauty of it. Especially in this day and age were social groups or government bodies want you to be a certain way, or do a certain thing. Never have I been in a relationship like that, but I can say, divided, it will bringing down the house.
Apathy, unattended to, like MW Bailey pointed out, will lead to the death of a lodge. The Tyler is all of us, we should guard against negative infiltration (bickering, finger-pointing, or trying to force others to believe a certain way). As well as guarding of the outer wall, we are all also Masters (eventually or not), where we conduct our own (inner) lodge. In my house, I dont consume alcohol or meat, much like a Noachite, but those are my beliefs and others can freely choose as they see fit for them. Im not offended by their choices, even though I have my beliefs for a reason. Its the inner lodge I'm focused on building.
I think it’s a valuable practice for a lodge (to not excluding anyone), and set time together as brothers for perspective discussions. If there is just one brother or a majority who want to see certain things implemented then there are ways to do that, either in that group or outside of that lodge. Sometimes our minds play out imaginary or untruthful intents, which can lead to feeling alienated or angry. Communication helps clear the air, just like any relationship.
>>It doesn’t matter to me if the lodge master, or anyone else gets Masonry as I understand it. >>Everyone has a personal journey, and no two paths are alike, that’s the beauty of it.
Thank you for providing this perspective Brother. It is certainly true, and important that we all remember. We just had this exact discussion in Lodge tonight.
My very first Masonic mentor is on a tremendous Masonic path that he has been traveling for decades. Alas, he's tried to explain it all to me, it's just not my thing.
My best Masonic friend has a much different view of Masonry than I do. I just don't get it, nor does he get mine.
All three of us are different in our approach and interests within Freemasonry, yet all three of us are extremely close, and extremely supportive of each other's Masonic explorations.
As you point out, that is the beauty of Freemasonry.
I am a new mason initiated and raised in an apathetic lodge. I tried to fix it. It didn't work. The other lodges around me aren't much better. I haven't been to lodge in two years. I will be attending my grand lodge leadership conference in March 2022 to pitch an idea and attempt to recruit for a new lodge. It will either be my last masonic activity, or a chance to start over.
I'm certain I can form a group of men interested in a quality fellowship experience. I'm just not sure I can do it within masonry. I can't form a lodge alone by masonic code. And I'm not sure there are enough master masons of like mind in my area to qualify.
This is the question I have been asking about two different lodges I belong to.
As a junior officer I try to bring new ideas create new public events. But all I'm met with is "great, do it all yourself."
I have come to the conclusion that in these lodges, I have fraternity brothers, but not friends. We carry on the work of the lodge out of a sense of duty and responsibility. Yet at the same time resent each other for being drafted, being "stuck", if you will. So much so that I have made it clear, I will go to the south when I want to; not when I'm told to.
I think that your decision to not go into the South until you are ready to do it is excellent. I had an odd trip through the officer chairs myself, which included a couple years on the sidelines before becoming a Warden, due to a move across the State.
I found that time, watching and learning, to be extremely valuable when I did eventually take leadership of my Lodge.
It has never seemed a good thing to me when Lodges push men through the chairs before they are ready for, or want, those duties.
Apathy starts at the top. If a leader just can't cut it, it cascades down into the membership. The unfortunate fact is that for some Lodges, people wind up at the top of the line who are totally unqualified. There are three types of leaders. The first is the traditional top-down leader who dictates form, function and culture (vision, mission, values). If he fails at this, organizational gridlock forms and brothers wind up not caring or participating. Then there are the trophy-hunters. They are there for the glory and honor and the Lodge be damned. This is the most destructive kind of leader who fosters not only apathy but feet leaving out the door. A true leader who inspires is a servant leader. A servant leader, leads from behind and encourages active members and coaches brothers to succeed. A servant leader creates an active lodge that fosters and rewards engagement. We need more of these types of leaders and the way to get there is to create training that models desired leadership traits. This can be done at the Lodge level, the district or at Grand Lodge. But it must be done.
I agree with you that we need to continually improve our training of leaders, and I think that has to be done at all of the levels you mention. The Grand Lodge is good at putting on grand scale events, and those can be very valuable, but I don't think that they can be everything.
I think that if we are receptive to it, we do learn to lead. Heck, I think I learned a pretty important lesson this past weekend.
But, I think for lessons to stick we have to use them. For without use, we forget. I think that is where Lodge training is so powerful. Small, but very frequent. That helps the larger lessons to stick I think.
I also think that we must recognize that some men are unsuited to the East. We must, in our Lodges, Guard the East with the same diligence as we should Guard the West.
Another situation could be a new leader (or perhaps an older Past Master) who tries to inject new energy into a Lodge that, at that point, is not apathetic, but is regimented in the old way of doing things. The Lodge had decent attendance, had solid finances, but some Brothers noted that their way of doing things will not work in the long-term. One of those Brothers assumes the East and starts up some new ideas. And the ideas are GOOD ones! But they aren’t what the Lodge had been doing for the past 30 years, and it angers some of those old Brothers who consider the old way of doing things as their “comfort zone” of sorts. However, other Lodges note the good ideas of this Worshipful Master, and overall attendance increases significantly. The lodge is noted by the District, and then the Grand Lodge leadership, as revitalized, and the Worshipful Master starts inviting them, and they attend as well. To all outside the lodge, it appears this is the most successful Lodge in the area. Maybe even a model for others to follow. Indeed, the ideas are good models to follow.
However, the Lodge is dying on the inside, as the increase in overall attendance hides the decrease in attendance of the Lodge’s own membership. The old, formerly active members are not pleased about the decisions the Worshipful Master made, and have stopped showing up. After a year, the Worshipful Master hands the baton over to another Brother who shares the excellent ideas, and the success continues, but then those two Brothers note there’s nobody else in the Lodge that wishes to succeed them, but then those two Brothers wind up in situations (good or unfortunate) that require them to change their focus to other areas, so they can’t continue to lead the lodge. In a short order, what appeared to be the most successful Lodge in the area now is in BIG trouble. Nobody’s showing up to the Stated Communications. No programs. No education. Just a handful of those old members trying to reset things to where they used to be. But now, the other Lodges, and the newer members of that Lodge, do not want to go back to what didn’t work. The Lodge knows it’s now in dire straits, and rather than try to figure out what to do, they point the fingers at those two Brothers who “ruined the Lodge.” Contention and apathy abound, and the Lodge is approaching being unsalvageable.
But what can the Lodge do now? Other Masons from adjacent lodges could take out dual memberships, but they know that if they reintroduce those ideas that worked, they’ll get no support, as they realize what happened when those two Brothers were leading the Lodge, they were in fact doing all the work themselves. The Lodge might try to merge with another Lodge, but then you might get resistance, as those old-timers might think the old way might get them back to the way it was 30 years ago, however unreasonable that might sound to those of you who are reading this. And the adjacent Lodges might view this Lodge as “kryptonite,” a Lodge full of toxicity that might infiltrate their own Lodge, potentially dragging it down as well. The only remaining option would be surrendering their Charter, or worse yet, not being able to comply with the Code regarding elections, installations, paying their bills, etc, resulting in the Grand Master having to arrest their Charter.
This scenario brings up many questions – is there a way this Lodge could have been saved from the very beginning of this situation? Where is the point of no return? Addressing problems like this could go a long way of saving Freemasonry in many of our communities.
Well, we could amend the WMC to specify that not only do we never discuss politics and religion but was also never think or say "we haven't done it that way before". I know I'm asking a lot, but sooner or later every organization has to shed its skin.
This is a very good explanation of how apathy can form. Thank you. I can think of at least a couple of Lodges that have suffered from this scenario.
Could it be that we consistently break our promise to ourselves? We say that we make good men better but perhaps the number one complaint is that we fail at providing interesting and impactful Masonic education. If our education doesn't illustrate how the lessons of our ritual and working tools can be used to lead a better and happier life then at some point why bother?
Yes, learn to properly present the ritual, but don't stop there. Learn what it means. Tear it apart phrase by phrase, or word by word, and as a group examine what it means to our lives. My Lodge is making a concerted effort to focus on education that's relevant to how we build ourselves into better men. So far the Brethren seem pretty excited about this.
I think that you are exactly right VW John.
We promise that we will provide our Masons with the tools and support to improve themselves. We can do this through Masonic education. Many of our Lodges do provide this, but far too many do not.
We must always ensure that we are fulfilling the promises that Freemasonry makes, and I think the first step towards that is by making certain that every single Masonic meeting contains Masonic education, delivered in an environment that feels open and supportive to all who are there.
The scenario is a trap. Implicitly, we Masons tend to place value on harmony and conservatism (in the sense of following tradition, not political).
The scenario is a trap because these things can't be simultaneously honored. Bumping out of apathy almost always means substantial change, in which case harmony & conservatism will be at least to some extent offended.
This is an interesting point, and I think a correct one. Thank you for sharing it, I hadn't considered it before.
I have seen many apathetic lodges, and a lot of good, open, honest, thoughtful discussion about what to do about it.
Yet lodges struggle mightily to actually *do* anything about it, because of this trap.
What if we were willing to reframe the question: what & who are we willing to offend in order to make progress in lodge? If the answer is no one, no progress will be made. Our intent isn't to offend for offense sake -- far from it, but it is just a recognition that conflict is necessary. Wise leadership has to choose which conflicts they want to engage in, but leadership doesn't get to avoid conflict, or choose no conflict.
Apathy sometimes equates to laziness. "Not my job," is a phrase I often hear in my lodge. Whose job is it to clean up the dishes, wipe the tables, and sweep the floors after the meetings? Whose job is it to put away all the tools, aprons, furnishings, and pick up all the candy wrappers? Whose job is it to vacuum the lodge room? I submit that it is ALL our job to do these things. Far too often, Brothers will stand around after the meeting, chatting with others, while work goes on around them, and never lift a finger to help make the work go quicker so we all can chat with Brethren and get home before midnight. I know of Past Masters of our lodge who have no idea where the mops and brooms are kept. "Not my job." Are the Stewards meant to be the only housekeepers? No. The work belongs to us all, and none of us should shirk that duty. Just my thoughts...
I think that the problem you outline is the case far too often, yet as I saw tonight, not universal.
I visited a Lodge tonight that included a fairly long informal meeting with refreshments after the Stated Meeting. It was a small turnout tonight, but an engaging conversation. The sole visitor eventually left, as did one member of the Lodge, but all the other members stayed to help clean up the dinner and refreshment mess. One Brother did put the finishing touches on the cleaning by himself, but only because he gave everyone else the boot.
The chores get done mighty fast when there are many hands helping.
"Many hands make light work."
Apathy to me is an emotional “outside of a social circle” feeling. Something I’ve felt a good part of my life. I don’t think of apathy as a good or bad thing, that also goes equally for passion or desire, it’s just the nature of mind and its emotion. Apathy, if balanced with empathy can be a good thing; to be able to see from a new perspective without drive of personal gain.
I love the esoteric mysteries of Freemasonry, but equally appreciate all the brothers who are in favor to the exoteric side; keeping the traditions of the craft on its simplest form. On my EA degree I was blown away by how many people where there (for me) with long and insightful words. At this lodge, I found a place where my personal journey wasn’t just encouraged but a way only meaningful to myself, much like how Joseph Campbell emphasized on the Hero’s Journey. It doesn’t matter to me if the lodge master, or anyone else gets Masonry as I understand it. Everyone has a personal journey, and no two paths are alike, that’s the beauty of it. Especially in this day and age were social groups or government bodies want you to be a certain way, or do a certain thing. Never have I been in a relationship like that, but I can say, divided, it will bringing down the house.
Apathy, unattended to, like MW Bailey pointed out, will lead to the death of a lodge. The Tyler is all of us, we should guard against negative infiltration (bickering, finger-pointing, or trying to force others to believe a certain way). As well as guarding of the outer wall, we are all also Masters (eventually or not), where we conduct our own (inner) lodge. In my house, I dont consume alcohol or meat, much like a Noachite, but those are my beliefs and others can freely choose as they see fit for them. Im not offended by their choices, even though I have my beliefs for a reason. Its the inner lodge I'm focused on building.
I think it’s a valuable practice for a lodge (to not excluding anyone), and set time together as brothers for perspective discussions. If there is just one brother or a majority who want to see certain things implemented then there are ways to do that, either in that group or outside of that lodge. Sometimes our minds play out imaginary or untruthful intents, which can lead to feeling alienated or angry. Communication helps clear the air, just like any relationship.
>>It doesn’t matter to me if the lodge master, or anyone else gets Masonry as I understand it. >>Everyone has a personal journey, and no two paths are alike, that’s the beauty of it.
Thank you for providing this perspective Brother. It is certainly true, and important that we all remember. We just had this exact discussion in Lodge tonight.
My very first Masonic mentor is on a tremendous Masonic path that he has been traveling for decades. Alas, he's tried to explain it all to me, it's just not my thing.
My best Masonic friend has a much different view of Masonry than I do. I just don't get it, nor does he get mine.
All three of us are different in our approach and interests within Freemasonry, yet all three of us are extremely close, and extremely supportive of each other's Masonic explorations.
As you point out, that is the beauty of Freemasonry.
I am a new mason initiated and raised in an apathetic lodge. I tried to fix it. It didn't work. The other lodges around me aren't much better. I haven't been to lodge in two years. I will be attending my grand lodge leadership conference in March 2022 to pitch an idea and attempt to recruit for a new lodge. It will either be my last masonic activity, or a chance to start over.
Whether you think you can, or that you cannot; you're right.
I'm certain I can form a group of men interested in a quality fellowship experience. I'm just not sure I can do it within masonry. I can't form a lodge alone by masonic code. And I'm not sure there are enough master masons of like mind in my area to qualify.