I have been reading a discussion over on the Masonic Society about why men leave the Lodge and don't want to participate. They have long lists of things the incoming Master can do to "Keep them coming" to the Lodge. Some of the ideas are more education, more activities to be involved with, more things for families. give the man something to do. I wrote this response:
Very interesting ideas on this page. Many good ones. However I have been thinking about it and I see one fatal flaw. In fact, I would venture to say that it is an underlying problem in all of Masonry if not in most organizations.
It seems to me in most of what was written above the responsibility for planning and carry out of those plans rests on one or two individuals. In this day and age people have been trained differently. They have been taught to work in teams. In fact, T. E. A. M. stands for Together Each Accomplishes More.
When I was elected Master of my lodge in 1980 I sat down with all of my officers and interested members and set some goals and made plans for the year. I developed what I called a Matrix planning system which I later wrote up for the Knights Templar Magazine. It can be found here:https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http ... uccess.pdf (Note - I am not sure you can access the document as I had to sign in with my google doc account. I think you can still find it on the Grand Lodge Web Site)
Men do NOT want to come to a meeting and sit on the sidelines and watch a business meeting, they do NOT want to listen to someone drone on about the history or philosophy of Masonry (Okay, some of us do enjoy that but not at EVERY meeting) - they do NOT want to NOT BE INVOLVED. The good ideas above get people involved, The best ideas involve them not only in the doing but in the planning and direction for the Lodge.
Lodges must do a certain amount of business and of course, they must do ritual. Aside from that there is no limit as to what they can get involved in. My suggestion is to let everybody be a part of the team. If the group is too large you can divide up the planning and then get back together to finalize the plans. Those who invest in the planning and are committed to making it a success will see the value of the organization and just perhaps stick around to Accomplish More.
The design of the Masonic Institution has seemed to be that one person is primarily in charge of "his" year and he must do all the work to get ready for it and assign all the tasks and involve everyone in what goes on. In my opinion that is the wrong way to do business.
When I taught elementary school I came to the conclusion that students working in teams learned more and got more done and developed a better project than those who worked individually. We are not all geniuses who can develop a masterpiece on our own. But we can all learn to work together, valuing the contributions of each individual at whatever level they are able to contribute, and while working together learn together and from each other and in the end all will be stronger for it and will feel a part of it and a responsibility for the success of the project (organization) and you won't be able to pry them away.
Do it for them and they won't value it and will soon be gone out the door. just sayin.
My agenda looks pretty full this week - Monday -new tires and getting the car serviced, Tuesday - free, Wednesday - To Des Moines to take the minutes (notes) for the Scottish Rite Officers meeting, Thursday to Cedar Rapids for an Iowa Academy of Masonic Knowledge meeting and then the postponed Arcadia Lodge Installation that night....Saturday the postponed Lodge Holiday Dinner and Sunday I am picking up my cousin and her fellow who are flying in from Buffalo, NY for the Holidays. As Billy De Wolfe used to say - Busy, Busy, Busy. Have a great week- Be gentle with each other and cherish your friends, Hugs, j
#1 - younger people in general are not interested in joining social networks; they do virtual ones on line (I think this is bad but that is beside my point)
#2 - Most established clubs are run by old folks who aren't keen on 'going with the times'; consciously or unconsciously they would rather see the institution go under than have it changed to accomodate the youngsters. I see this a lot in churches.
#3 - Catch 22 situation - the less young people in a group the less likely young people are willing to join it.
"Bowling Alone" is a social study book that summarizes it all quite well.
My body is always working toward optimum health. My body wants to be Whole and Healthy, I cooperate and become healthy, whole and complete.