January 2023: Get Your Year
Off to a Great Start: Tips and Advice from Past Masters

As we enter the new year, lodges up and down the state are preparing for a changing of the guard, bidding farewell to one master and welcoming a new one in for their year in the east. It can be an overwhelming feeling for a new master, who no doubt has a year’s worth of ideas and priorities to set in motion, plus a mountain of to-dos looming over the not-so-distant horizon. Being a lodge master is, as one past master puts it, a full-time job—in addition to whatever other full-time or part-time job they do outside the lodge. Keeping all those balls in the air is a real challenge—though one that can be incredibly rewarding, too.

The good news is that a new master doesn’t have to go it alone. They have their entire officer’s line, plus the lodge’s past officers there to help guide them and help out. And that’s not all: They have an entire fraternity at their back, ready to be tapped into for advice or council. (One of the most significant benefits of attending the annual Leadership Retreats.) That’s why, as we turn the calendar to a new year, we’ve asked some recent past masters to jot down a few notes about their recent year in the east to pass along to the next generation of lodge leaders. Here are 10 of the best.

Advice for a New Year

1. Communication Is Key
“Make sure your officers are all talking to each other regularly. A group-chat over text works well for us.” —Mark Burger, PM, Pacific Grove No. 331

One of the most frequent pieces of advice we heard had to do with staying in touch with the other members and officers of the lodge. Technology has made this easier than ever—text groups, email, even work software like Slack works well for that. Figure out what your group prefers and then use that to stay tight as a group.

Further Reading:
The Zoom Boom
At Lodge, Gen Z Is in Charge Now
What the Youth Orders Can Teach Us About Staying in Touch

2. Seek Out Support—and Use It
“Use the Grand Lodge support staff and materials as much as you can. It’s crazy that the Grand Lodge does so much for our leaders that they know so little about. It can make their jobs so much easier. The Grand Lodge wants you to have a great year, and has created scores of tools for you to use.  (Including the 2023 Leadership Retreats.) Familiarize yourself with them! It’s likely no one else in your lodge knows much about them—but they are a huge help.” —Doug Ismail, PM, California No. 1

California’s is one of the largest and best-staffed Grand Lodges in the country. From member services to accounting, communications, real estate, tax services, and legal department, they have people and tools that can help you achieve your lodge goals. Not sure where to start? Email memberservices@freemason.org.

Further Reading:
Looking for Something? Grand Lodge Resources Guide
iMember 2.0 Secretary Worksheet
Download a Free Guide to Freemasonry

3. Remember the Middle
“Lodges have a tendency to focus on the top and bottom of the fraternity—the officers and the candidates. However, the overwhelming majority of our members are in the middle. If your program is primarily focused on degrees and the business of the lodge, you are not servicing the largest segment of your membership. Give brothers a reason to want to come back each week or month.” —Michael May, PM, Saddleback Laguna No. 672

Once a member has progressed through the three degrees, they’re essentially done with their Masonic journey. So what else is going to keep them coming back to lodge for the next 20, 30, or 40 years?

Further Reading:
Next Up: Meet the 20- and 30-Somethings Pushing the Fraternity Forward
The Lewis Degree: A Ceremony Generations in the Making
Mentors in the Field: How Support for Masonic Youth Enlivened a Lodge
Worth the Trip: In Barstow, One Lodge’s Reputation for Camaraderie Is Known for Miles Around

4. Make Your Stated Meetings Count
“Plan your stated meetings with the same passion that you plan your other events. You get 12 opportunities to make an impression on visitors, prospects, family—and your members. Think through the year early and fill it with interesting and engaging programming.” —Ismail

One of the age-old issues facing lodge officers is finding ways to enliven their stated meetings and turn them into must-see events that draw members to lodge each month. From tapping into guest speakers, inviting members to make presentations, or inviting a representative from Masonic Outreach Services to speak at your meeting, there’s no shortage of good ways to pep things up. (And keep it moving!)

Further Reading:
For Some Lodges, a Change of Pace
Masonic Lecture Series
Brave New World
Masonic Speaker Series Archive
Getting Back in the Swing of Lodge

5. Set Specific Expectations
“Words are power. Setting explicit expectations that you can refer back to gives people structure and grants them autonomy within that structure to achieve their goals.” —Daniel Tao, PM, Morning Star No. 19

Managing people can always be fraught. Being clear and direct is one of the strongest ways to display consistency and fairness as you deal with a group of people with their own ideas and motivations.

Further Reading:
How to Really—Like, Really—Listen
Spanning the Divide: How to Repair a Lodge and Restore Harmony
Is Forgiveness Manly?

6. Put Your Best Foot Forward
“Keep the lodge maintained. When things look sharp, people are proud to be there and show off what they are part of with their friends and family. That includes keeping the lodge clean and well-stocked (including things like having bathroom tissue in the women’s room), having soda and coffee always available, and not a lot of stuff sitting around—no broken furniture or walls that need paint, no lights out.” —Burger

What’s more inviting and intriguing than a beautiful, ornate Masonic temple? Or rather, what’s less inviting than a dingy, dirty one? Money and effort put into maintaining your space will pay off in terms of new prospects coming in and old members coming back.

Further Reading:
A Spit-Shine at Santa Barbara No. 192
At a Masonic Cemetery, a Forever Home
In Benicia, a Historic Masonic Hall, Now with LEDs

7. Enjoy the Voyage
“Appreciate every second of your experience. It will be over far quicker than you expect. It may seem like the sky is falling at times, but you’ll look back fondly upon every bump, hiccup and situation that arose while you were in the east.” —May

Further Reading:
Spanning the Divide
Nights at the Round Table 

8. Make Support a Mindset
“Continue with the mentality of supporting the lodge as your only motive. Over the years, you labor in the position your seniors tell you to go, commit to memory the portions of the lectures of each degree and so on. And years later, before you know it, that support mentality will take you to the oriental chair of a masonic lodge, which is the greatest honor that comes to any brother.” —Victor Sardilla, PM, Hemet San Jacinto No. 338

Further Reading:
How to Really—Like, Really—Listen
Outstanding in Outreach
In the Face of Fire, a Heroic Act of Masonic Relief 

9. Challenge the Status Quo
“The most dangerous thing that can be said in lodge, when asked why we do something a specific way, is ‘because we always have.’ Think outside of the box. Breathe new life into your lodge. Fail forward.” —May

Freemasonry is a 300-year-old tradition. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for experimentation and new ideas in lodge. Keep pushing the envelope and be willing to fail in order to succeed.

Further Reading:
The Deconstructed Lodge
Brave New World: What Can Lodges Learn from the Worst Year Ever?

10. Think About Graduation Day
“Have a past master’s project in mind for when you are done with your year. The transition to being a past master doesn't have to be jarring if you have plans for afterward. Also enjoy ‘graduating’ to the PM corps and see how you can support your lodge from that position and point of view.” —Tao

You’ll be a past master for much longer than you’ll be master. Don’t let your influence stop being felt once you’ve moved through the chairs. As past master, you still have a great opportunity to effect positive change.

Further Reading:
The Road Trippers of Texas No. 46
Challenge Accepted: Highlights of the #BlueLodgeChallenge