If it weren't for the rest areas on I-5 when the Eastern Star wad hosting it when I stopped, I would have probably never asked. When I did ask Woody How does a person become a Mason, he replied, "You just did!" Are they still closed?
MWB Bailey, you know I'm a bit of a gadfly about things, so I'm going to have to buzz around your ears again.
"How about you invite one of your locally elected officials to come speak with your Lodge sometime this fall? Get the local media to cover it?
"I can assure you that every other community organization is doing just that. Why don’t the Masons?"
Yes, every other community organization is doing just that... Now, let me ask you, how is that doing to gain them membership? And not just people on the rolls but useful members?
Take a look at the rolls. It's not helping them. Every community organization is suffering from the same drain that we are, with one or two notable exceptions.
Lets look at them. The VFW is actually growing in most places, where the Elks, the Eagles, the Moose, the Rotary, the Rotarians, etc are floundering. The NRA is growing again, where those same organizations, along with any political organization that doesn't have the state mandating you join in order to work in the field is dying (Yes I am calling unions a political organization, it's a hill I'm willing to fight and die on. They once were something else, but that day has passed.)
So, what are those organizations doing, along with the other very few organizations that are growing, that the dying organizations are not doing?
I'm a fan of teaching by allegory. One branch of the military never has problems with recruiting. Now admittedly all branches are meeting and exceeding, right now, but that's a different topic for a different time. One branch NEVER has problems.
The USMC.
Why?
The Army will tell you all the great programs they have, how you can do all this cool stuff. The Navy will tell you about all the training opportunities, the adventure, and so on… The Airforce will tell you about their high tech, and their advancement opportunities, how great life in the AF is. I have no idea how the Space Force recruits, other than just “Dude, we’re the SPACE FORCE.”
The Marine Corps looks at potential recruits and says “I don’t see it, I don’t think you have what it takes, you’re too soft, too weak, too much of a candyass. But we’ll let you try if you want.”
Then they'll tell you how they're relevant, and why they matter.
Several years ago The Grand Lodge of Ohio took a more liberal approach to solicitation. Here is the method they allow lodges to use:
Recommendations for Selective Invitation
Section 34.01 (b) of the Ohio Masonic Code states: “It is Unmasonic Conduct to use mass media techniques to openly invite the general public to petition for Masonic membership; however there is no objection to selectively identifying a man whom you believe would make a good Mason and explain that you would be proud to sponsor him for membership in a symbolic lodge. After the procedure for obtaining membership in a Masonic Lodge is explained, the potential candidate should be left to make his own decision and come of his own free will.”
One of the core tenets of our Order is that people must come to the Fraternity of their own free will and accord. It is a path that every man must choose to take and choose to follow on his own. We cannot beg or beseech someone to take that path, but we can offer to help them find it.
The Key is Being Selective
· In the course of our daily lives, we encounter many good men; but would they be good Masons?
· When you became a Mason, you were taught values and tenets that are important to the Fraternity and your Lodge, be sure that you selectively invite someone who also finds these important.
· Don’t recommend a man for Masonry until you know them and can truly vouch for their character and commitment.
· When it comes to membership numbers, ten of the “right” men can accomplish what a hundred of the “wrong” men could never start.
Be Able to Answer “Why”
· When you tell someone that you think he’d make a good Mason, expect that he will ask you why.
· Tell your Masonic Story: why did you join, why do you stay, what do you get out of it, why is it important to you?
· Most importantly, what do you see in him that makes you think it would be a good fit and that he would enjoy it, as well?
Be the Personal Connection
· Think about how you joined. Most Masons join because of a personal connection.
· Don’t ask him to join, but offer to talk to him if he wants to know more.
· Don’t pressure, but invite him to an upcoming open house, monthly pancake breakfast or annual fundraiser, so that he can meet other members, ask questions, and hear their stories.
· Some seeds take longer than others to grow
Be Ready for the Question
· Live your Masonic values every day; let him know by your words and actions what it means to be a Mason.
· If and when he asks, have a petition available and proudly be his top-line signer.
Great topic and excellent points all MWB Bailey! I think if we want people to ask us they have to be able to find us. Being in a building once or twice a month ensures that most will keep walking by never having met one. Leaving us all to wonder what might have happened had someone just been there to answer that knock…
As I have often heard and read, once upon a time you couldn't shake a stick without hitting a Mason. Whats more these Brothers were active and supportive in their communities. People knew if you needed a Mason you went to the Lodge to find one. Would this hold true today? This is the story I am told mostly by older Brothers and OES Members who only distantly remember it themselves.
As a small business owner brand recognition is a huge deal. The logo and reputation you have built to accompany it matter. How many people still alive remember when Lodges were a place to meet friends, family, neighbors, and community members outside of photos or history books? If we were to ask people outside of our Lodges, families, and friends what they know about Freemasonry, or what a Lodge is, or what a Mason has done to help them, what will they say, if anything? What if we asked them to recognize some of our more prominent symbols or landmarks? Have they forgotten us, or have we forgotten them?
We are happy to provide support and resources, however I think the manner in which we do it matters. What do you remember more, the condolences card from a distant acquaintance, or the neighbor who showed up to help out while dealing with a loss? The distant show of empathy for unfortunate circumstance, or the person who rolls up their sleeves to help you in a time of need? These are all factors I think we would do well to consider. Finding ways to support our Brothers and Communities concurrently, in symbiotic and sustainable ways.
I think if we figure out how we want the world to perceive our organization today, we will grow an prosper. By establishing an accurate and current "brand" reputation for the Craft in modern society. If we keep telling people what we were and these things no longer hold true, then perhaps we might wish to consider how we would like to approach the future and take an active part in creating a version of it that meets the needs of our Brothers and the times we live in. Because like it or not, people will judge us by our collective actions, and that is the Legacy our future Brethren will inherit.
Showing up in the community, in something that identifies us as Masons is the only way anyone is going to be able to ask us. They have to be able to identify us.
And it is not enough to say, "Contact your local Lodge"
Many lodges are terrible at making contact with men who are interested in becoming Masons, much less getting the truth out about what it is to be a Mason.
There was a Short Talk Bulletin that was either by-lined by Carl H Claudy, or attributed to him called, "The Truth is Enough." In it he reminds us that on the path of getting people interested in Masonry we often exaggerate or even tell outright lies about the Craft. Just show up; tell the truth; and be present for, and in, your community. After that, the Craft will grow.
And for all the old guys out there saying, "I need to get out of the way so the younger generation can run the Craft": you need to help them, or you need to be there doing Masonry alongside them.
Sorry, that was a little rambl-ey, but there are so many ways we can recruit without recruiting.
If it weren't for the rest areas on I-5 when the Eastern Star wad hosting it when I stopped, I would have probably never asked. When I did ask Woody How does a person become a Mason, he replied, "You just did!" Are they still closed?
MWB Bailey, you know I'm a bit of a gadfly about things, so I'm going to have to buzz around your ears again.
"How about you invite one of your locally elected officials to come speak with your Lodge sometime this fall? Get the local media to cover it?
"I can assure you that every other community organization is doing just that. Why don’t the Masons?"
Yes, every other community organization is doing just that... Now, let me ask you, how is that doing to gain them membership? And not just people on the rolls but useful members?
Take a look at the rolls. It's not helping them. Every community organization is suffering from the same drain that we are, with one or two notable exceptions.
Lets look at them. The VFW is actually growing in most places, where the Elks, the Eagles, the Moose, the Rotary, the Rotarians, etc are floundering. The NRA is growing again, where those same organizations, along with any political organization that doesn't have the state mandating you join in order to work in the field is dying (Yes I am calling unions a political organization, it's a hill I'm willing to fight and die on. They once were something else, but that day has passed.)
So, what are those organizations doing, along with the other very few organizations that are growing, that the dying organizations are not doing?
I'm a fan of teaching by allegory. One branch of the military never has problems with recruiting. Now admittedly all branches are meeting and exceeding, right now, but that's a different topic for a different time. One branch NEVER has problems.
The USMC.
Why?
The Army will tell you all the great programs they have, how you can do all this cool stuff. The Navy will tell you about all the training opportunities, the adventure, and so on… The Airforce will tell you about their high tech, and their advancement opportunities, how great life in the AF is. I have no idea how the Space Force recruits, other than just “Dude, we’re the SPACE FORCE.”
The Marine Corps looks at potential recruits and says “I don’t see it, I don’t think you have what it takes, you’re too soft, too weak, too much of a candyass. But we’ll let you try if you want.”
Then they'll tell you how they're relevant, and why they matter.
Several years ago The Grand Lodge of Ohio took a more liberal approach to solicitation. Here is the method they allow lodges to use:
Recommendations for Selective Invitation
Section 34.01 (b) of the Ohio Masonic Code states: “It is Unmasonic Conduct to use mass media techniques to openly invite the general public to petition for Masonic membership; however there is no objection to selectively identifying a man whom you believe would make a good Mason and explain that you would be proud to sponsor him for membership in a symbolic lodge. After the procedure for obtaining membership in a Masonic Lodge is explained, the potential candidate should be left to make his own decision and come of his own free will.”
One of the core tenets of our Order is that people must come to the Fraternity of their own free will and accord. It is a path that every man must choose to take and choose to follow on his own. We cannot beg or beseech someone to take that path, but we can offer to help them find it.
The Key is Being Selective
· In the course of our daily lives, we encounter many good men; but would they be good Masons?
· When you became a Mason, you were taught values and tenets that are important to the Fraternity and your Lodge, be sure that you selectively invite someone who also finds these important.
· Don’t recommend a man for Masonry until you know them and can truly vouch for their character and commitment.
· When it comes to membership numbers, ten of the “right” men can accomplish what a hundred of the “wrong” men could never start.
Be Able to Answer “Why”
· When you tell someone that you think he’d make a good Mason, expect that he will ask you why.
· Tell your Masonic Story: why did you join, why do you stay, what do you get out of it, why is it important to you?
· Most importantly, what do you see in him that makes you think it would be a good fit and that he would enjoy it, as well?
Be the Personal Connection
· Think about how you joined. Most Masons join because of a personal connection.
· Don’t ask him to join, but offer to talk to him if he wants to know more.
· Don’t pressure, but invite him to an upcoming open house, monthly pancake breakfast or annual fundraiser, so that he can meet other members, ask questions, and hear their stories.
· Some seeds take longer than others to grow
Be Ready for the Question
· Live your Masonic values every day; let him know by your words and actions what it means to be a Mason.
· If and when he asks, have a petition available and proudly be his top-line signer.
· Mentor him as he starts down this path.
Great topic and excellent points all MWB Bailey! I think if we want people to ask us they have to be able to find us. Being in a building once or twice a month ensures that most will keep walking by never having met one. Leaving us all to wonder what might have happened had someone just been there to answer that knock…
As I have often heard and read, once upon a time you couldn't shake a stick without hitting a Mason. Whats more these Brothers were active and supportive in their communities. People knew if you needed a Mason you went to the Lodge to find one. Would this hold true today? This is the story I am told mostly by older Brothers and OES Members who only distantly remember it themselves.
As a small business owner brand recognition is a huge deal. The logo and reputation you have built to accompany it matter. How many people still alive remember when Lodges were a place to meet friends, family, neighbors, and community members outside of photos or history books? If we were to ask people outside of our Lodges, families, and friends what they know about Freemasonry, or what a Lodge is, or what a Mason has done to help them, what will they say, if anything? What if we asked them to recognize some of our more prominent symbols or landmarks? Have they forgotten us, or have we forgotten them?
We are happy to provide support and resources, however I think the manner in which we do it matters. What do you remember more, the condolences card from a distant acquaintance, or the neighbor who showed up to help out while dealing with a loss? The distant show of empathy for unfortunate circumstance, or the person who rolls up their sleeves to help you in a time of need? These are all factors I think we would do well to consider. Finding ways to support our Brothers and Communities concurrently, in symbiotic and sustainable ways.
I think if we figure out how we want the world to perceive our organization today, we will grow an prosper. By establishing an accurate and current "brand" reputation for the Craft in modern society. If we keep telling people what we were and these things no longer hold true, then perhaps we might wish to consider how we would like to approach the future and take an active part in creating a version of it that meets the needs of our Brothers and the times we live in. Because like it or not, people will judge us by our collective actions, and that is the Legacy our future Brethren will inherit.
Great article MWB Bailey!
Showing up in the community, in something that identifies us as Masons is the only way anyone is going to be able to ask us. They have to be able to identify us.
And it is not enough to say, "Contact your local Lodge"
Many lodges are terrible at making contact with men who are interested in becoming Masons, much less getting the truth out about what it is to be a Mason.
There was a Short Talk Bulletin that was either by-lined by Carl H Claudy, or attributed to him called, "The Truth is Enough." In it he reminds us that on the path of getting people interested in Masonry we often exaggerate or even tell outright lies about the Craft. Just show up; tell the truth; and be present for, and in, your community. After that, the Craft will grow.
And for all the old guys out there saying, "I need to get out of the way so the younger generation can run the Craft": you need to help them, or you need to be there doing Masonry alongside them.
Sorry, that was a little rambl-ey, but there are so many ways we can recruit without recruiting.