Grand Master’s Message Grand Master Jeffrey N. Nelson

Grand Master’s Message

Greetings Sir Knights, we announced the dates of the 2021 Triennial Conclave in the January edition of the Knight Templar. In addition to electing our leadership for the 69 th

triennium, one of the most important things we will do is receive and vote on the recommenda

tions currently being drafted by the Committee on

Preserving Templary 2021.

As you recall, we created this special committee

to undertake a comprehensive review of the Consti

tution, Statutes, Disciplinary Rules, Standing Resolu

tions, Ceremonies, Forms, and Approved Decisions. It has been over a century since the current statutes and rules were re-codified. It was a much different

era then, which the current statutes and rules clearly reflect.

We believe that the statutes and rules must meet our needs rather than requiring

our members to conform to a set of statutes and rules that, although fine for our grandfathers, do not meet the needs of today’s Templar. Yes, there are certain immu

table aspects of Templary that define us, but beyond these enduring tenets, we are

only circumscribed by our cramped imagination. The extent to which we can achieve

this goal will directly affect our success going forward. We now live in a digital, ever accelerating world and must ensure that our governance documents do not inhibit our advancement.

This is where you come in. Over the next several months, the committee will

be soliciting your ideas and suggestions for revising the Constitution, Statutes, and Rules. Once they have been reviewed and approved by the Jurisprudence Commit

tee, they will be compiled into a legislative package for consideration by the voting delegates at the 68 th Triennial Conclave in Minneapolis. Between now and August

of 2021, the proposals will be reviewed in the Knight Templar and discussed at the 2020-21 cycle of department conferences.

Please submit your proposals and ideas to the committee chairman, Past Texas Grand Commander and current South Central Department Commander Jack Harper at jackharperkt@gmail.com. This is your chance to influence what the Grand Encampment and Templary will look like for the next one hundred years. We hope you avail yourself of this opportunity.

Courteously, Jeffrey N. Nelson, GCT Grand Master