Let's call this post a "Mentor's Minute" - a quick tip for strengthening our lodge experience.
As a general rule, people tend to hate doing things with no explanation as to why they are doing it or what the value of the job or the particular task is. This is especially true of our Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts, and perhaps even a few of our Master Masons who are still relatively new to the craft and to the lodge experience.
Those same brothers may find they are getting bored in meetings while the Worshipful Master and brethren are discussing business they do not understand and, as I think we have seen, when they get bored in meetings they tend to stop attending. The solution? Turn every meeting into a learning experience and "mentor on the fly" or explain as you go.
During the course of your stated meeting, especially if you are in the East, you should explain to new masons what you're talking about, how it fits into their budding masonic experience, and why it's important. New masons are already overwhelmed with their memory work and new meetings and committments, so the more we can help them make sense of it all and show them how it all fits together, the higher the likelihood they will join in and participate. We inundate our new masons with all types of masonic jargon and lingo so let's explain it to them so they feel they are part of the discussion.
Who or what is this D.D.G.M. everyone seems so concerned about? Why can't I attend when our lodge receives them? The Worshipful Master can easily explain this to new masons as he holds the discussion about preparations for an upcoming D.D.G.M. visit.
What is the audit and why do we do it? The Worshipful Master should be able to explain this in about two sentences.
Why do we do "Sickness and Distress" and why do we drape the charter? What are the rules for draping the charter? A quick sentence or two should clear all of this up and make the new brothers comfortable enough to join in and share any of their own concerns, sicknesses, or distress.
There are many things we discuss, move, and vote on in a Stated Meeting and in many cases we've slipped into an unending stream of casual slang or jargon and we often leave our new brothers out or leave them behind as we rocket our way through our business.
Explain your business to those who will have to conduct it in the future! Make the new brothers part of the discussions and when they can't particiapte, explain why. Importantly, explain why the matters you are discussing at today's meetings might affect them in the future - show them through active mentoring how all of the pieces and parts fit together - this is how the future line officers learn the expectations and responsibilities of the offices and what it takes to run the lodge. This is how we train our leaders! Every brother abandoned to the blizzard of jargon is a prime candidate to be the next brother who abandons your meetings and your lodge!
Mentor on the fly! Engage your EA's and FC's!
S&F
-BroBill
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