I Challenge You

At the 2005 Leadership Conference of the Grand Lodge at the 4H Conference Center in Front Royal, Virginia, WB Robert G. Davis, Past Master of Guildhall Lodge No. 63 in Oklahoma, discussed the intricacies and nuances of Masonic leadership. In his lecture entitled, “What Came You Here to Do?,” he pointed out that the issues facing today’s Masonic leaders may be more complicated than at any time in the history of the Craft.

Relevancy as a fraternity, he said, will depend on how well we cultivate our most valuable resource, the individual Mason, pointing out that today’s Mason “expects his lodge to aid his self development.” Equally important, he declared, is the ongoing effort of Masonry to recreate an organization that offers fraternal role modeling, meaningful generational connections, and social and leadership venues for new members,

If Masonry is to be relevant in our time, he suggested, we must provide opportunities whereby those in our communities “with the best skills and experience to organize and lead,” will seek membership. This means, he asserted, that the Masonic mission “is to offer the right vision” to guide prospects into the fraternal experience.

In observing that those to whom he spoke were the leaders of Masonry in the District of Columbia, Brother Davis touched on the heritage that they share. “When you review the biographies of men who have led Masonry in the District of Columbia,” he remarked, “you are standing on the shoulders of giants whose expectations were driven by excellence in all things.” The true test of your effectiveness as a leader, he then argued, will be this: “Will your Lodge be better off when you leave your office … than when you arrived?”

WB Davis concluded his lecture with the following challenge to the assembled leaders of Masonry in attendance:

“We as lodge officers have a significant role in creating the state of mind that is our organization. We can serve as symbols of the moral unity and integrity in Masonry. We can express the values that hold our organization together. Our first responsibility as leaders is to be honest about what kind of lodge experience we now offer; and what has to be done to create a fraternal experience that will serve the next generation of men; and indeed, every generation of men. Staff Report

“The signs of our effort will appear in our lodges and among our followers. Is the lodge meeting achieving its potential as a fraternal and educational center for men? Are our members reaching their potential? Are we serving them in enough ways to make a difference in their lives? Are we teaching life skills to our younger men? Are our Brothers learning the right things from us? Are we serving them? Are they participating with us in serving others? Do we bring both meaning and joy to their lives?

Leadership Conference. WB Robert G. Davis, motivational speaker, addressed the conference on the subject, “What Came You Here to Do?”

“My Brothers, I plead with you to please know that the choices you make today can affect your lodge for years to come. Go create a Masonry that meets the needs of the right kind of men, of thinking men, of generous men, of caring men, of gentle men. Create a Masonry that will be embraced by these kinds of men—not just anyone and everyone. Change your lodge, adapt it, modify it, embrace it, grow it, give to it, love it. Live it! And above all, do everything in your power, your ability, your skills, your creative ingenuity to make it so that—when you are gone—you will be remembered for improving the world for men!

“Because that is what we all came here to do!”