March 2023: Managing the E.A. Crush

Lodges struggling to advance prospects through the degrees, take note. No matter what size of lodge you have, or how many officers are in place, there are steps you can take to ensure you're not ignoring the next generation of Masons.

1. Practice, Practice

The first piece of advice is obvious: You've got to get your reps in. Practice the ritual as a line. Make time for your officer line to work as a team going through the entire flow of a degree ceremony. Floorwork is something that is best practiced with your fellow officers and in the lodge setting. This is where the rubber meets the road and you can combine your well-practiced recitations with coordinated movement.

2. But First, Start Planning

If simply being out of practice is your lodge’s biggest problem, that's a good thing. Because even getting to a place where you can focus on the performance itself takes some serious planning. See the big picture. Begin by surveying your lodge's degree needs for the upcoming year. How many applicants are ready to take their Entered Apprentice degree? How many are waiting for the second and third degrees? Don't try to do them all at once—and don’t rush to put everyone through the degrees as fast as you can. "Give yourself a roadmap," Yelinek says. "And then you can backfill that calendar with rehearsals and practice dates." (For what it's worth, on average, California lodges perform about six degrees per year.)

3. Be Strategic

The Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees share many similarities. Take advantage of the practice you do for one and schedule your EA and FC degrees close to one another. That way, you'll stay sharp and not need to worry about building up to the more challenging third degree until later.

4. Stick to the Plan

Once you've built out a calendar to handle all the degrees you need to perform, stick to it. Don't worry about a new candidate who wants to get their Entered Apprentice degree done ASAP. They'll be scheduled for next year.

5. Look for Help

One of the most common issues facing lodges is a dearth of officers available to perform the degrees. Don't let that stop you! Recruit officers from nearby lodges who can step in to help your lodge put on a degree. Connect with them at Officer School of Instruction events, at the Leadership Retreats, or through your district inspector. In fact, lodges that co-host degrees often find it to be a fun and memorable time.

Increasingly, certainly lodges are fielding traveling degree teams—particularly in Southern California. If your lodge isn't able to put on a degree, but you have candidates ready to take them, ask a traveling team to step in. It’s a memorable experience for your lodge, the candidate, and the traveling team. 

Finally, look at your bench: Are there current Entered Apprentices in your lodge who might relish the opportunity to deliver the charge at the end of another candidates' EA degree? Other members who might like to play a part? Think of the degrees as a way to bring more members into the fold in a meaningful way—and to give the regular crew a little bit of a break. That's a win-win.