Making Membership a PriorityRed Wing Lodge No. 8

Masonic Membership ConferenceGrand Lodge of Minnesota – AF & AMFebruary 26th, 2011

The State of Red Wing Lodge in 2005Red Wing Lodge Membership:

• A fairly typical example of the late 20th Century drop in fraternal engagement,

• bitter disagreements over whether to rent Lodge space as a revenue generator, • and caustic personality disputes led to substantial loss of membership from 1970 – 2000.

400+ members in the early 1960’s become 5 active members in 2002.

General sense of futility leads to discussion regarding the surrender the Charter in 2003.

The State of Red Wing Lodge in 2005

MWB Charles Baltos Email:Sent from Texas in the winter of 2003. Requests that members not act on Charter surrender until he has an opportunity to speak with them in person upon his Spring return.

WB William Callister & WB Dan EllisonSitting Area Deputy and District Representative petition for membership to the Red Wing Lodge, and with the Brothers work to collectively put a halt to the surrender plans.

150th Anniversary Celebration

Celebration Planning – Summer of 2006

Immediately gave two new Lodge Brothers an opportunity to become engaged in and feel they add value to the Lodge.

Existing Lodge Brothers enthusiastically threw their support behind the effort.

Entire community was engaged in the Anniversary.

150th Anniversary Celebration

150th Anniversary Celebration

2007 - 2011Success of Anniversary event laid foundation for more events and community engagement:

KidsID programs in the Community

Annual Table Lodges

Special event and dinner planning at CommunicationsLaunch of a website

Charity Events

Bikes-for-Books program in the elementary school

Courtesy work for area Lodges

Masonic Cancer Center Fundraisers

Red Wing Lodge Membership

Despite a proportionally large loss of members since 2006 due to death, NPD drop or transfer:

new members have held overall Lodge membership steady;

and the number of active members has increased 70%.

Masonic Membership Conference

We were instructed today not to discuss membership theory,

rather to give a “hands-on description” of what was done to change the course of the Red Wing

Lodge.

Hands-on Description

1. Programming.

Create meaningful programming, with a pragmatic eye on what can actually be accomplished with just a handful of Brothers.

AVOID BURNOUT!

Hands-on Description2. Avoiding the “Den of Vipers”.

Innovation is rightly frowned upon in Masonic Ritual.

Both in 2005 and today Red Wing is “Viper” free.

Unfortunately that institutional ethos can lead current members to create a culture outside of that Ritual which is hostile to new ideas, new programs, or new life in the Lodge

It can also kill membership efforts with acidic vitriol.

Hands-on Description3. Continue the Lodge’s progression by:

- Implementing the Lodge Recognition Program

- Sustaining a robust Mentorship Program

- Scheduling regular L.E.O. Presentations

- Compete for awards (i.e., Mark Twain Award)

- Etc.

Hands-on Description4. Create a radically welcoming environment.

Everyone’s engaged, no one’s left sitting on the sidelines. Unkind, un-fraternal, un-Masonic behavior is not tolerated.

Make the Lodge a place Brothers actually want to visit, and memorize lines, and wash dishes, and raise money, and volunteer, and . . .

No reasonable idea is frowned upon! Do not be afraid to take chances!

Questions?