It is sad to see the older members pass away (one of which I am rapidly becoming) and the dramatic decline in new young men joining. As I have considered the reason for the decline in membership, and inactivity among many members, I actually thought that it was due to a younger generation's lack of moral fortitude and commitment, but that changed as I recalled my inactivity in years past. In today's fast paced world, most agree that at the end of a workday they are either mentally and or physically exhausted. The last thing on a man's mind at the end of a hard day is driving to the lodge for a 6:30 - 7:00 evening meeting which normally means they will get home around 9:00 - 10:00. After my father moved back to his hometown, he moved his membership to the lodge there and together we enjoyed attending daylight lodge held on Saturdays. We would arrive between 10:30 - 11:00 to help get things set up for lunch together before opening lodge at 12:00. It was such a joy and we looked forward to those Saturday meetings. Unfortunately to many of our older members, many of which are retired, seem resistant to changing from evening to daylight meetings. When young men approach me about freemasonry, they tell me that it is the evening meetings are at the root of their not asking to join. When I ask how they would feel about Saturday daylight meetings they nearly always respond that they would like it. As we older members look to the future of Freemasonry we should turn our attention to what the younger men would want as those to carry on this wonderful institution. What are your thoughts and ideas for the future of Freemasonry?
My lodge has two meetings every month the second and fourth thursday evenings. The first for a business meeting and the second for degree work. This gets us out of the lodge at a reasonable time and gives us twice as many opportunities to gather and enjoy each other's company.
I do not believe that the meeting time is the source of problems for Lodges experiencing them. The poll and your post imply that a Lodge that does not change its meeting time will not be able to grow and attract new, younger Brothers. This is patently not the case. Many Lodges who are doing quite well and show strong growth still meet in the evening. It is the programming offered in a Lodge that will keep members and attract new ones. And if a person has so much going in their life that they cannot find time for Masonic meetings then they are obviously not at the right point in their lives where they belong in our Order. The wording of your poll says that anyone who wants to keep meeting in the evening is against the positive growth of our Fraternity. It is designed to only allow people to vote in a certain direction making the data gained invalid.
I belong to a daylight lodge and it serves its purpose very well. There are more members in attendance on a regular basis than any lodge in our district There are 6 or 7 50 yr members. A lot of PM's and RW's. I would venture to say that most of the membership, 45 or so, would not attend lodge if this alternative wasn't available. I don't buy into the idea that younger men today are any busier than I was 35 years ago when I joined. I raised kids, worked overtime, coached Little League and several other things. So, busier than I was, no way. I do believe that there are far more distractions today(internet, gaming, more tv, etc) and that is where their interests lie. For those who are interested in Masonry, they, like a lot of us, make (made) time for it. I did not vote in the poll because as Bro. Winter stated the info gathered is skewed.
We have several members in my Lodge who do not like to drive at night. With one exception, when asked if they would like to be driven to lodge meetings, answered that they didn't want to be a bother. I think that a daylight lodge is a capital idea for those who would not be able to drive at night, or who rise early and get sleepy early. There's also always the symptom of 'Sundowning' seen sometimes in early dementia. S&F
As a note - my poll is not meant to be skewed. It is only that I have seen many in my association with ministries that are resistant to change. I know no other way to offer a "NO" option, because in other associations there are those who do not like, or are receptive to change. In regards to change, I would offer that if enough young men joined us then they could make the proposal for change and bring that change into effect, given their were enough. I believe that another determining factor on evening attendance stems from demanding wives. Even I have had to deal with this at times and make concessions by limiting attendance in my past years.
A better option would be for jurisdictions to have both types, daylight and evening Lodges, available to provide a wider range of options for attendance. But to say that Lodges must change to a daylight setting to remain viable is just not true. Both my home lodges meet in the evening and are young and vibrant. As for change, there many Masons today that are absolutely receptive to the changes proposed by such Masonic groups as the Knights of the North, the Masonic Restoration Foundation, the Masonic Renewal Committee, and many others. The momentum has been slowly building for the last decade or so and these young men are moving up the chairs and making those changes happen in many places.
A Brother in our Lodge is starting a "Day Lodge" for older Brothers, truckers and such. It's been meeting as a club for the last 3 months and is highly supported by the Grand Orator, who is a member of our district. This would be only one of 3 day lodges in the state if it come to charterhood.
As zack stated , Brothers are no busier today as they were before . I have had younger members tell me they are far to busy to attend lodge , yet they have time to hang out at sports bars (some on our meeting night , I have eyes everywhere in my small town) , go to sporting events , watch the game on TV etc; etc; . Sorry , I don't buy it , one must make time for what they find important . My Mother lodge is a country lodge , many of the active brothers are farmers . If we were to switch our meetings to daylight meetings to accommodate younger members , then our loyal , active brethren would no longer be able to attend . And Saturdays are their busy days on their farms as they have full time jobs also .
I wouldn't want my Lodge to meet on Saturday because then I would have to skip Lodge to watch football! LOL
I could see having two stated meetings a month , one evening and one daylight , but I seriously doubt we would have much of a turnout for a daylight lodge . Most members are busy with work , farms , chores , family outings or what have you during the day . We quit having "daytime" called meetings for degree work on Saturdays because we were having trouble getting the brethren out for it . But we get wonderful crowds on evening called meetings for degree work .
I did not vote in the poll as the only one I would vote for is biased . This option , "No - Keep things as they are, we don't need new members" , makes it look like we are not (or would not be) gaining any new members , when in my lodge's case is FAR from the truth , if we leave things the way they are .
Saturdays wouldnt work for me either. I work 6 days a week, I used to work 7 days a week, plus volunteer with the fire department (monday meetings every week, plus schooling for fire department, plus worked a second job and still found time to go to 75% of the fire calls we had (average between 350 to 450 calls a year). I believe it is like someone already pointed out...Its the sport bars, friend hangout, tv, PS3/Xbox, WIFE. Fortunately for me the wife supports everything I do.
none of the above. I too work 6-7 days a week, night time is the best time for me and most of my Brothers. The insinuation that not having daytime Lodge meetings is the reason for new members is not a valid. Membership has been declining for decades, at about the same rate as television has expanded.
When I worked nights, I wished there was a Daylight Lodge. It would have been great if there was one in the area. However, I would miss going out with Brothers after to the pub.
