Leadership Retreat
March 21st – 23rd, 2025
Wenatchee Convention Center
Registration is open January 2nd – February 27th, 2025 – CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Class Descriptions for LLR 2025
CORE CLASSES
Junior Wardens Roles
An introduction to the roles and responsibilities of being an elected line officer with an emphasis on the specific responsibilities of the Junior Warden.
Recommended for – SD, JW
Senior Wardens Roles
You will soon be a Senior Warden, and we will be looking into what is expected of you as a Senior Warden and what you can do to make it a successful year.
Recommended for – JW, SW
Officer Protocol and Practices
In this session, we will review Masonic protocol and practices as explained in the Lodge Officer’s Handbook, including recommended roles and responsibilities. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions.
Recommended for – SD, JD
Long Rangle Planning
What are the elements of an effective 1, 3 and 5 year long-range plan for your lodge? Why having a mutually devised and agreed upon strategy for the future is vital for your lodge’s greatest potential, and how to go from merely talking about one to creating and implementing this critical tool.
Recommended for – SD, JW, SW
Ritual
Opening and Closing
We all love great ritual. Some lodges have it and others struggle. We’ll explore why this happens. Is it due to team practice or hoping everyone knows their parts? What goes into great opening and closing? We’ll discuss how great ritual and floorwork makes your meeting more efficient and shows how much pride the Lodge takes in its work.
Recommended for – Deacons
Developing Ritual
Ritual is an important aspect of Freemasonry. Not only can it inspire your candidate, it is an opportunity to develop your current Masons of your lodge. This presentation defines a successful degree night, shares best practices and explores ways to groom a new generation of ritualists for your lodge. Make the most out of degree night!
Recommended for – JW, SW
Floorwork
Ritual is only half of the lodge experience. Good floorwork can elevate the ritual from decent to outstanding with very little effort. This class will focus on moving around the lodge as directed in the best possible manner to showcase a lodge that cares about the little details that really matter.
Recommended for – Stewards and Deacons.
3rd Degree Drama
The sublime degree of a Master Mason should leave an indelible impression on the mind of the Brother. We’ll go from basics to best practices. Bring your questions and be prepared to share your Lodge’s traditions that make the Drama unique for your members.
Recommended for – JW, SW
Nuts and Bolts
WM & Secretary Relationship
You will learn of the importance of the relationship between the Secretary and the Worshipful Master, what the Secretary does for the Lodge and Worshipful Master, and the division of labor between the two.
Recommended for – JW, SW, Sec
Running a Successful Meeting
The best meetings are the ones that are well organized and well attended. This presentation covers three important areas. Planning your term and setting an agenda for each meeting, Communication with your lodge so that members attend, and highlights from the Lodge Officers Handbook so that each person knows what is expected of them. Successful planning is planning for success.
Recommended for – SD, JW, SW
Lodge Financial Management
You will learn the importance of, and how to create a budget. You will also learn how to properly receive money in the Lodge and account for the money received. You will also learn how to properly document the Lodge’s expenditures, the need for and purpose of an audit, and some of the IRS tax codes that may pertain to the Lodge.
Recommended for – JW, SW, Sec, Treas
Temple Board Finances
The most important asset for many Lodges is the building where they meet. Proper budgeting and financial planning to protect and maintain the property by the Temple Corporation and maintaining corporate formalities is critical. This class will discuss maintaining separation between the Lodge and the Temple Corporation and discuss budgeting and financial planning to ensure that the building is maintained as a place to meet for future generations of Masons.
Recommended for – JW, SW, Sec, Treas
Insurance Matters!
This class covers the essentials of insurance coverage, defines different types of insurance your Lodge and Temple Board may wish to consider, and provides best practice information for all of us who need to be good stewards of the risks inherent in today’s litigious world. The coverage provided under the Grand Lodge group policy will be discussed, along with other optional coverages that you may wish to consider. Bring your questions!
Recommended for – Sec, Treas, SW, JW
Effective Mentoring
Discuss the differences between Coaching and Mentoring – and learn about the fulfillment that goes with some of the very most important work that we as Masons are privileged to do – mentoring other Masons.
Recommended for – All Officers
Six Steps to Initiation
In the age of instant gratification, how can we truly determine a man’s character and intentions? Can we be certain that they’re answering the Indispensable Questions honestly? How can someone inquiring about the Fraternity determine if a Lodge is a good fit for them? We’ll explain the program and give an overview of how to implement it in your Lodge.
Recommended for – Deacons, JW, Sec
Proficiency in the Code
What is Proficiency in Lodge Management, and why should you care? If you have designs to advance to the oriental chair, you should be “well skilled in the noble science and royal art”. This one-hour class will help prepare you for that future event. Suggested: JD, SD, JW, SW, WM
Masonic Development Program
Did you have an expectation of a regular system of education and knowledge when joining Freemasonry? Did you have an expectation of a path or framework that would guide you to becoming a good Brother, a good Leader, a good Mason? From the moment he stands on the threshold of Freemasonry and all along the path that leads to developing himself into a worthy Brother Master Mason, the MDP is the framework that answers the question – “What’s Next?”
Recommended for – All Officers.
Planning
Pillars of Masonry
Join us for a two hour workshop that will explore the six supports of Long Range Planning – this is a highly interactive session that will help you to develop a Vision statement for your Lodge, walk you through an evaluation of where your Lodge sits today regarding the six supports, and ultimately develop key strategies and initiatives that tie to the vision – all under the auspices of ultimately drafting a Long Range Plan that you can take back to your Lodge.
Recommended for – All Officers.
Installation Planning
The big day is almost here, and a well-planned installation will set the tempo for the next year. This will not happen by just showing up! You have planned your year using all the tools; so how about making this day an excellent start to that year? You will be given key concepts to having an installation ceremony that everyone will remember, one you planned well.
Recommended for – SW
Membership Engagement
Masonic Education in Lodge
What separates our lodge meetings from any other business meeting? Masonic Education. More than simple facts and trivia, Masonic Education is what men joining the Fraternity today are seeking out. This class offers ideas and lays out a plan to help develop this within your lodge.
Recommended for – All officers
Beyond Six Steps
Our Fraternity is taking in enough new members each year to not only survive, but to thrive into the future. Unfortunately, we are retaining far too few of these new Brothers. They go inactive, or even drop out entirely. We will explore the best ways in which we can retain these men as active members of our Lodges, and how we can help fulfill the promises we made to them as candidates.
Recommended for –SD, JW, SW
Restoration of the Craft
For many lodges, attracting new members is important and yet so many lodges struggle to grow. This presentation approaches membership growth by examining the lodge experience and how this impacts retention and growth. Membership is now coming from men of four generations, each with a different perspective on life and expectation from their lodge. Is your lodge well positioned for growth?
Recommended for – All Officers
Pursuing Excellence
Much like the journey from the rough Ashlar to the perfect, the pursuit of excellence in our craft can be a lifelong journey. This class will provide you with thoughts and ideas on how to make your lodge’s masonic experience a more fulfilling event. Even if you only incorporate one or two suggestions, you should see positive changes within and without the lodge.
Recommended for – JW, SW, WM.
Effective Investigations
Following the six steps does not ensure we are getting the best candidates for our lodges. Proper execution of those steps will help ensure our vetting is done properly and with the best results. This class will focus on the investigation procedure of candidates. What should the WM consider when assigning the investigation committee? How should the investigating Committee conduct itself? What questions should be asked? Make your investigations meaningful.
Recommended for –All officers
Esoterica & Freemasonry
This class provides an introduction into the esoteric nature of the Craft. Learn how to dig deeper into the hidden mysteries and explore interesting ideas which will resonate with your inner development.
Recommended for –All officer
Civility
Conflict Management
Life is conflict. How we handle that conflict defines us as Masons. This class will offer different ideas on handling conflicts within the Lodge either with another Brother or between two Brothers and offer ideas on how to manage and de-escalate conflicts.
Recommended for – All Officers
Civility
We will explore potential reasons for the increasingly polarized world we live in today and attempt to explain a psychological theory for why it is so (the backfire effect). We’ll talk about how we can use that knowledge to catch ourselves before we escalate in a similar fashion and thus promote civil interactions.
Recommended for – All Officers
Social Media & PR Guidelines
An in-depth presentation and discussion of the suggested guidelines recently presented to the Most Worshipful Grand Master for social media and internet use by Lodges and individual Masons.
Recommended for – Deacons, JW
Best Practices
What They DON’T Tell You About Being a WM
There are issues and pitfalls no one ever tells you about when you become a Worshipful Master. We’ll focus on the responsibilities of a Worshipful Master from several planned events during your year, installation, first meeting, District Deputy’s official visit, balloting, Annual Communication and everything in between. There is a lot of detailed mandatory and non-mandatory things to make your Lodge function with peace and harmony during the year.
Recommended for – SW
Sharing Best Practices
A guided discussion about what really works (and maybe what really doesn’t) in running their Lodges. Expect a lively dialogue with leaders from throughout the Jurisdiction.
Recommended for –All officers
Temple Board Basics
The Lodge’s real estate asset is managed by its Temple Board. What all is involved with managing real estate assets in today’s new world and fulfilling your Lodge’s Masonic mission? Join us for a discussion of current issues affecting Temple Boards ranging from legal and financial strategies to practical tips and tools as Lodges and Temple Boards manage their properties and navigate the process to ensure their buildings and properties are truly an asset and not a burden.
Recommended for – All Officers
Grandview – Basics
This course provides the basics of setting up a Grandview account, verifying personal information, and navigating all the useful tools available in Grandview including classes, committees, calendar, and ritual.
Recommended for – All Officers
Grandview – Advanced
This course delves into all of the tools and tricks that are available to the Lodge officers through Grandview including an overview of Lodge dues, Lodge membership records, posts, Lodge events, reports and other information.
Recommended for – WM, Sec