

What is Masonry? -- A Strategic Vision

Masonry believes that all men, irrespective of the amount of training
and education that they are exposed to, are essentially unfinished
products. As a result, their life is spent in the pursuit of becoming
completed. Masonry exists to help men in meeting this life-time
challenge.  That is the notion underlying our motto that "Masonry
makes good men better."

Masonry help to make good men better by teaching them the importance
of:

> Ethics: A good man is an ethical man, a man who lives within the due
bounds of the ethical system in which they live.
> Education: A good man is a person who understands the importance of
education, both for himself and for the community.  A good man is
always learning; a good man always supports the educational efforts of
others; a good man encourages and supports the educational efforts of
the community in which he lives.

> Obligations: A good man understands that he lives within a system
based on obligations.  These obligations bind him to his family, his
place of employment, his community, his country, mankind as a whole,
and his God. A man's worth and value is defined by the manner in which
these obligations are recognized and fulfilled.

> Legacy: A good man understands that he has an obligation to leave a
legacy to his family, community, and country.

The Elements of Masonry

Masonry helps men to recognize the preceding issues and to prepare
them to meet the demands that these preceding issues contain.  Masonry
does so by drawing on the following elements:

>Ritual; Masonry has developed a body of ritual that is over 250 years
old.  The truths contained within this ritual has proven its value by
withstanding the tests of time.  What this ritual teaches are
critical lessons about the tenets and beliefs that every good man
should try to incorporate and follow, the keys to living a better
life, and those trait that make a man a true asset to himself, his
family, his place of employment, his community, and his country.
These truths are taught through analogies and allegories contained
within the ritual.  The truths are somewhat hidden, which is important
since it is the premise of Masonry that what is important is not
always self-evident.  It must be uncovered, which requires the man to
develop time and effort to contemplating the rituals and the lessons
contained therein.

>Fellowship: Masonry regards the Lodge as the fundamental building
block.  It is the Lodge that teaches the man, as brother, the lessons
of masonry.  It is also the Lodge that introduces men to other men of
similar interests.  The result is that friendships lasting a lifetime
are made.  The result is also that men are introduced to others from a
wide range of paths and life experiences.  By meeting in a setting
where no man is better or worse than the rest, we learn to value
diversity, appreciate fellowship and understand the need to view
people on their own merits.

>Commitment:  Masonry teaches that men must make a difference, that
they must be a positive force within their families, companies,
communities, and countries.  To this end, masonry provides a
number of charities that meet real needs and that can and do make a
difference.

Tenets and Beliefs of Masonry

These basic principles of Freemasonry are taken from the Pilgrim's
Path (page 146) which was written by John Robinson.  The following are
the major principles of freemasonry:

>Every freemason asserts his belief in God, and in the immorality of
the soul. A Freemason believes that how he worships God is his own
business, and how every mason worships God is his own business.
Accordingly, masons believe fervently in freedom of religion.
Freemasonry offers no pathway to salvation.  That must be sought and
found in a Mason's own place of worship, which he is encouraged to
attend and to support.

>Because religion and politics are so often used to drive men apart,
they may not be discussed in any Masonic Lodge. Freemasonry seeks to
give men of all creeds a way to meet in brotherhood and mutual
respect, to join together in common causes to benefit those in need.

>If a Mason's own religious beliefs require of him a voluntary life of
caring and sharing, of attention to the needs of the less fortunate,
Freemasonry offers a variety of charitable outlets to satisfy his
compassion.  To that extent, Masonry strives to be the ideal partner
of any moral religion.

>A Mason must never put his duties and responsibilities to Masonry
ahead of his duties and responsibilities to his family, to his God, to
his job, neighbors or to his country.

These principles of Freemasonry are embedded in our belief structure
which emphasizes a respect for knowledge, learning and education, a
recognition of the need to help others less fortunate, the need
to treat everyone as an equal and the importance of our obligations.
These are very difficult requirements to meet.  Many strive but few
succeed.  They become the foundations on which each Mason spends
the rest of his life building his personal, social and moral life.
They define what a Mason is.

Who Does Masonry Serve?

Masonry recognizes that it has a number of distinct customers. These
include: the individual man or brother; the families of the brother;
the community; and, the country.  The needs of each group must be
recognized and met within the framework of Freemasonry.

What Does Masonry Demand?

Masonry defines a life that is more proactive than reactive.  It
introduces men to a life characterized by:

>Learning: This is learning at the personal level.  A mason is
committed to a life of learning.

>Helping: Masons understand that they are committed to a life of
helping others.  They must be willing to help even when the need is
not expressed or requested.  It is the need that is critical.

>Growing: Masons are committed to life of growing internally.

>Caring: Masons are bound to care about their families, their
communities, and their country.

Freemasonry seeks to give men of all creeds a way to meet in
brotherhood and mutual respect, to join together in common causes to
benefit those in need. If a Mason's own religious beliefs require of
him a voluntary life of caring and sharing, of attention to the needs
of the less fortunate, Freemasonry offers a variety of charitable
outlets to satisfy his compassion.  To that extent, Masonry strives to
be the ideal partner of any moral religion.

>A Mason must never put his duties and responsibilities to Masonry
ahead of his duties and responsibilities to his family, to his God, to
his job, neighbors or to his country.

These principles of Freemasonry are embedded in our belief structure
which emphasizes a respect for knowledge, learning and education, a
recognition of the need to help others less fortunate, the need
to treat everyone as an equal and the importance of our obligations.
These are very difficult requirements to meet.  Many strive but few
succeed.  They become the foundations on which each Mason spends
the rest of his life building his personal, social and moral life.

Underlying these traits is the notion of visibility.  In contrast to
the past of Masonry where our craft was generally hidden and
low-keyed, the community must understand that Masonry is present, that
Masonry is an asset, and that Masonry does help people and the
community.

What if We Don't Adopt These Issues?

This vision and strategy defines a very proactive view of Masonry -- a
vision designed to take Masonry into 21st Century.  To some within
this gentle craft" may object to this vision as being too radical.
However, it is important to recognize that we are now in a new era.
This is an era where there are numerous demands place on the time of
our target market -- men in the 25 to 50 year group.  This is a group
that is highly goal driven and very outcome minded.  This is a group
that carefully selects how and where it will be spending its time.  It
will join those groups where they perceive the costs of belonging as
being less than the costs of not belonging.

It is imperative that we attract people from this group.  The old
messages and methods making men from this group aware about Masonry
and its benefits is no longer adequate.  The most important piece
of evidence that this past vision is not longer effective comes from
membership trends.  At present, we are shrinking, as the rate at which
we are losing members through death is far greater than the rate
at which we are recruiting their replacements.

In addition, there is the issue of Lodge attendance.  At present, our
Lodges are experiencing attendance rates of between 5 to 10%.  These
are indicators that somehow we are currently not meeting or serving
the needs of our customer, both current and targeted.

Unless something is done in the next two to five years, we run the
risk of becoming irrelevant in today's world.  If that occurs, we will
cease to play an important role in today's world.  As a result, the
wonderful and important lessons of Masonry will be lost -- much to the
determent of society.

Concluding Comments

This note is asking for a rethinking of Masonry.  This is not unusual.
In today's world, firms are continuously reinventing themselves. They
realize that, if they are to exist, then they must change how they
present themselves and their messages.   Change is required for
survival.

Remember the words of Deming, one of the founders of the Total Quality
Management movement, who once noted, when asked why the managers had
to change, that: "You don't have to change.  Survival is not
mandatory!!!"

Steven A. Melnyk
Professor of Operations Management
Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1122         melnyk@pilot.msu.ed



