Grand Lodge Inspiring loyalty
M EM B E R S’ PAT H WAY: ON THE G R O U N D, AC R OS S THE PR OV I N C ES After the launch of the Members’ Pathway 2.0, we catch up with four Provincial Grand Masters to find out that it has been invaluable in re-engaging the membership
Lodges are often surprised when a member resigns, believing it was their individual choice rather than one that was influenced by their Masonic experience within their Lodge.
The Chinese word for crisis comprises two symbols: the first is ‘danger’ and the second ‘opportunity’ N E I L CO N N O LLY P G M H E RT FO R D S H I R E Every journey starts with the first step
‘One of the fi rst instructions we receive during the ceremony of Initiation is to “step off with your left foot”. And so begins our Masonic journey. However, traditionally (or should I say habitually), our journey from that point can vary immensely. We progress through the fi rst three degrees, take up appointments as Lodge Officers, eventually becoming Master of the Lodge. Many join the Royal Arch and, perhaps in due course, move on to the other Orders where they enjoy the varied ritual and conviviality associated with that particular journey. However, the pressures of the ever-changing pace in modern-day life, especially over the past 25 years, have resulted in all too many becoming disillusioned; their progress and interest wane and they are lost to Freemasonry. 56
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Many Lodges are still coming to terms with recent losses, and their numbers have become perilously low. However, the number of Initiates in the past year has exceeded expectations and bodes well for some. As an organisation, we still lose approximately a fi fth of our Initiates within three years of their Initiation. The Members’ Pathway seeks to provide a structure that enables Lodges to review themselves in terms of planning how they wish to be perceived, how they attract new members – then engage and support them. Then where this has not fully worked out, there’s guidance on how to try and retrieve a member in the initial stages when they are seeking to resign. The challenge is twofold: realising the dangers of when the Lodge experience does not align with the expectation of the members, then seizing the opportunity that the structure of the Members’ Pathway offers to address this.’ FMT Winter 2022
16/11/2022 17:30