The Pew Research Center surveyed people who had joined and then left an organization within a year. Here are the top reasons cited for leaving; lack of effective leadership - 54%, the person lost interest in the purpose of the group - 47%, and the group could not accomplish its stated goals - 42%
In 2011, Association Advisor (industry pub) cited that the aging of the Baby Boomer generation is negatively impacting membership retention in their organizations.
XYZ University, a consulting organization that helps organizations engage younger members states that the X and Y generations are looking for not only an emotional attachment to the organizations they join, but opportunities to foster relationships, learn from mentors, and gain access to new skills and information.
If our lodges cannot provide proper leadership, work to attain our stated goal of "making men better," and continually build and nuture a true relationship with those men who join, the trend of men beginning their degrees and not finishing will continue.
One friend and brother once said that accepting a man into your lodge should not be viewed as a transaction, but rather, as accepting someone into a loving and supporting family.
A well thought-out process of fellowship, mentorship and education, from the time a man expresses an interest unitil his brothers stand at his coffin and mourn his death, will solve men leaving the fraternity. It takes work, but it is worthwhile.
MWB Dwight L Smith, Past Grand Master of Indiana, said this in his essay "Whither are We Traveling?" - "Freemasonry has not been tried in the balance and found wanting: it has been found difficult and not tried."
Agree that a business meeting and prayer won't keep people in.
Maybe offering interactive lectures in Lodge of the seven liberal arts as the trivium and quadrivium - what they were and what they are now - and how they apply to the Craft; or rather - how the Craft are expected to apply those Arts and their underlying principles to the outer world which we are expected to improve by our own self-improvement?
Maybe providing interactive classes in Lodge with free on-line courses already on the Web
Maybe working up public service projects the Lodge can do?
Give people something as a condensation nucleus that is a living-out of the Craft, around which they can form connection.
Our Lodge suffered aging members, some internal strife, and the same inertia of dull meetings.
But there are also more positive currents.
Our present WM has made education a part of each meeting, we’re upgrading financial records and communications, reaching out to brothers who’ve been a absent, and reduced the clutter in Lodge. Breakfasts and dinners are better attended now. We helped another Lodge initiate two Brothers and made those EAs welcome at our Lodge.
Much more to do, but we’re going in the right direction I think.
When i was raised i was 23. So, i made it thru the degrees. Then I left a year later, and stayed away until i was 47. There were three reasons. One i was a kid, and not very mature in my reactions. The second was that within a few months of being raised, before which only my mentor seemed to even notice me, i was embroiled in Lodge infighting and politics. One of the 'grand ole men' of my Lodge lied to me in an attempt to manipulate me. Being young and inexperienced I walked away from what i percieved as supreme hypocrisy. The final reason was that i was told there was a program or spiritual and moral development, and that was totally absent. Interestingly, when i came back to lodge (in a different jurisdiction) i was confronted with EXACTLY the same things. Being somewhat older, and possibly wiser, i sought out like minded brethren and made a home of sorts. I would say, after my experience and the comments and complaints i have heard from those who did not return, not much has changed. It is my opinion that the world is seeking depth, community, meaning and advancement, even if most people can't articulate that clearly. We promise those things. That said, i have seen the brethren in a preparation room demostrate to the candidate that those things are not present. We say our Lodges are "retreats of friendship and virtue", and believe me the candiates hear that. They better see it in action, because the world is full of options and they do not need to dedicate time and money to something that does not meet their needs. Sometimes I feel that the charge should be given at the openning of a Lodge, not the close, as a reminder of what we are doing and why.
Excellent topic! And it is near and dear to my heart because our lodge has been there. We were very close to folding. But a handful of us sat around the dining room table until the wee hours and agreed that there had to be more to a Masonic meeting than business. That night our lodge made a commitment to a new direction.
For anyone who is serious about making a change, I encourage you to attend Lodge Leadership Retreat in March and attend my class “Masonic Restoration” where I will dive into this in detail and offer real recommendations.
I also recommend attending the class just prior to mine called “Elephant in the Room” which helps lodges identify their challenges.
These two classes where designed to compliment each other like a part 1 and part 2.
My impression of why we can't get all the brothers once initiated through the rest of the degrees boils down to this. It's not what they expected.
Whether it's the movies and TV, social media, or being outright lied to by the lodge, a lot of times, expectations don't match reality.
We basically say we provide the meaning of life, when in reality, we provide dull business meetings, poor ritual work, no community involvement, and lackluster attendance.
Several things come to mind.
The Pew Research Center surveyed people who had joined and then left an organization within a year. Here are the top reasons cited for leaving; lack of effective leadership - 54%, the person lost interest in the purpose of the group - 47%, and the group could not accomplish its stated goals - 42%
In 2011, Association Advisor (industry pub) cited that the aging of the Baby Boomer generation is negatively impacting membership retention in their organizations.
XYZ University, a consulting organization that helps organizations engage younger members states that the X and Y generations are looking for not only an emotional attachment to the organizations they join, but opportunities to foster relationships, learn from mentors, and gain access to new skills and information.
If our lodges cannot provide proper leadership, work to attain our stated goal of "making men better," and continually build and nuture a true relationship with those men who join, the trend of men beginning their degrees and not finishing will continue.
One friend and brother once said that accepting a man into your lodge should not be viewed as a transaction, but rather, as accepting someone into a loving and supporting family.
A well thought-out process of fellowship, mentorship and education, from the time a man expresses an interest unitil his brothers stand at his coffin and mourn his death, will solve men leaving the fraternity. It takes work, but it is worthwhile.
MWB Dwight L Smith, Past Grand Master of Indiana, said this in his essay "Whither are We Traveling?" - "Freemasonry has not been tried in the balance and found wanting: it has been found difficult and not tried."
Practice Freemasonry.
Agree that a business meeting and prayer won't keep people in.
Maybe offering interactive lectures in Lodge of the seven liberal arts as the trivium and quadrivium - what they were and what they are now - and how they apply to the Craft; or rather - how the Craft are expected to apply those Arts and their underlying principles to the outer world which we are expected to improve by our own self-improvement?
Maybe providing interactive classes in Lodge with free on-line courses already on the Web
Maybe working up public service projects the Lodge can do?
Give people something as a condensation nucleus that is a living-out of the Craft, around which they can form connection.
Our Lodge suffered aging members, some internal strife, and the same inertia of dull meetings.
But there are also more positive currents.
Our present WM has made education a part of each meeting, we’re upgrading financial records and communications, reaching out to brothers who’ve been a absent, and reduced the clutter in Lodge. Breakfasts and dinners are better attended now. We helped another Lodge initiate two Brothers and made those EAs welcome at our Lodge.
Much more to do, but we’re going in the right direction I think.
When i was raised i was 23. So, i made it thru the degrees. Then I left a year later, and stayed away until i was 47. There were three reasons. One i was a kid, and not very mature in my reactions. The second was that within a few months of being raised, before which only my mentor seemed to even notice me, i was embroiled in Lodge infighting and politics. One of the 'grand ole men' of my Lodge lied to me in an attempt to manipulate me. Being young and inexperienced I walked away from what i percieved as supreme hypocrisy. The final reason was that i was told there was a program or spiritual and moral development, and that was totally absent. Interestingly, when i came back to lodge (in a different jurisdiction) i was confronted with EXACTLY the same things. Being somewhat older, and possibly wiser, i sought out like minded brethren and made a home of sorts. I would say, after my experience and the comments and complaints i have heard from those who did not return, not much has changed. It is my opinion that the world is seeking depth, community, meaning and advancement, even if most people can't articulate that clearly. We promise those things. That said, i have seen the brethren in a preparation room demostrate to the candidate that those things are not present. We say our Lodges are "retreats of friendship and virtue", and believe me the candiates hear that. They better see it in action, because the world is full of options and they do not need to dedicate time and money to something that does not meet their needs. Sometimes I feel that the charge should be given at the openning of a Lodge, not the close, as a reminder of what we are doing and why.
Excellent topic! And it is near and dear to my heart because our lodge has been there. We were very close to folding. But a handful of us sat around the dining room table until the wee hours and agreed that there had to be more to a Masonic meeting than business. That night our lodge made a commitment to a new direction.
For anyone who is serious about making a change, I encourage you to attend Lodge Leadership Retreat in March and attend my class “Masonic Restoration” where I will dive into this in detail and offer real recommendations.
I also recommend attending the class just prior to mine called “Elephant in the Room” which helps lodges identify their challenges.
These two classes where designed to compliment each other like a part 1 and part 2.
Zane McCune
My impression of why we can't get all the brothers once initiated through the rest of the degrees boils down to this. It's not what they expected.
Whether it's the movies and TV, social media, or being outright lied to by the lodge, a lot of times, expectations don't match reality.
We basically say we provide the meaning of life, when in reality, we provide dull business meetings, poor ritual work, no community involvement, and lackluster attendance.