Leadership Notes - Servant Leadership and the Deacons in the Blue Lodge

Leadership Notes

Servant Leadership and the Deacons in the Blue Lodge

The deacons are the first true “positional leadership” roles in the Lodge. Positional leadership is defined by John Maxwell as “…the lowest level of leadership - the entry level. The only influence a positional leader has is that which comes with the job title.” The goal here is to build leadership potential and move on to the other levels of leadership by improving your influence in the Lodge.

The deacons have great responsibility. The junior deacon is responsible for guarding the inner door of the Lodge, and the senior deacon has the responsibility to guide and conduct candidates. The Lodge relies on them to keep the meetings secure, while candidates entrust their entry into the Lodge on the senior deacon.

These are not trivial duties, and perhaps the element of trust is the key to building leadership ability as a deacon.

In these positions you start to develop your leadership role in the Lodge. You start to develop your ritual skills, and as these skills develop, your role in the lodge leadership will also increase. You must do all your duties in the Lodge to the best of your ability. This will build trust in you and improve your influence with the members of the Lodge, the past masters, and the sitting master. As you gain this influence, others in the Lodge will look to you for guidance and leadership.

The years you serve as the junior and senior deacon is also a time to learn by observing those in leadership roles above your station. Learning how the Lodge operates and learning the traditions of the lodge is essential to good stewardship as a leader. You should also see what the core values of the Lodge and its members are.

By understanding these values and what the members are looking for in Lodge, you can start to plan for the stations which follow and eventually your year as master.

The more you plan to meet the values of the Lodge and members, the more participation you will get from the brothers, and your Lodge will grow.

As you learn what your Lodge and the membership value, you can help to develop the vision for the ensuing years. Developing a vision will give the Lodge direction on how to move forward. It will give you goals that all can agree on. This will not happen overnight, and you will have to sell and get buy-in to that vision. If everyone buys in and shares the vision that has been set, the Lodge will work together as a whole to make that vision a reality. At this point you, as a leader, can serve and assist those doing the work. This is where your true service and leadership will express itself. We read in Luke 22:26, “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

An especially important thing to remember is that while you observe the workings of the Lodge, it is important to take notice of not just those things that work but also those things that did not work. We can learn more from our mistakes and failures then we do from our successes. However, if something did not go as planned,

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remember to sit down with the other leaders and debrief on why it did not succeed. This will help improve everyone that was involved and help the Lodge going forward.

When you are a deacon, make note of your Lodge’s traditions and work to build the trust and influence you will need to be the worshipful master.

If you want to learn more about leadership principles, join the York Rite Leadership Training Program. Visit the website at YorkRiteLeadership.org for more information and to register for the program.

SK Charles D. O’Neill, KCT, PGC York Rite Leadership Faculty

We publish articles from a variety of sources and points of view. The opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the Grand Encampment, the Knight Templar magazine, or the Editorial Review Board.

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