C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

New viewpoints and fresh approaches offer solutions to the problems facing Freemasonry today.

In the days of the tall ships, sometimes all hope seemed lost in the middle of a tempest. At such times, no man could hold the ship on course. As a final act of desperation, the ship's wheel would be lashed into position. The hope was that where human intelligence and strength had failed, blind fate might preserve the ship and crew. It seldom worked then—it seldom works now. For many decades, Freemasonry in all its branches, enjoyed a long voyage with favoring winds. We grew in numbers and in prestige. We became, without serious competition, the most numerous and powerful fraternity the world had ever seen. When the storm clouds appeared on the horizon, shortly after the beginning of this century, we did not see them. We were growing ever stronger. When the clouds finally were noticed, we felt we could safely sail before the storm.

When the storm broke in full force, almost every branch of Masonry hoped to survive by lashing the wheel. Instead of looking for a change in direction which might save us, we became even more rigid in our thinking. We tied the wheel even more tightly. We railed against the winds and waves. We blamed society, television, indifference, the loss of values, prejudice, and cultural diversity. It seems not to have occurred to us that our own thought, energy, and dedication could save us. We lashed the wheel, refused to consider change, and trusted our future to the fates.

Only at the last moment, with the sound of waves breaking on the rocks, have we decided to again put our hands to the wheel. We are relying again on our own abilities and the strengths of Masonry. The ship has, at last, started to alter course.

Some of you have seen the Report of the Subcommittee on Strategic Planning which was presented at the 1997 Biennial Session of the Southern Jurisdiction. It lays out our answer to the question "Where are we going?" To me, the most important and exciting thing is that it shows a determination to become again the master of our fate, and to act, rather than react. Let me briefly outline it for you. The basic assumptions of the report are these:

• For any Masonic organization to grow, it must give its members something of value and that value must be recognized by the membership.
• Masonry must start from an awareness of the world as it is, even as it tries to build the world as it should be.

The report concludes that there are eight basic questions which must be answered as part of charting our course to the next century from a position of strength rather than weakness. It is of interest to review the answers to these questions, for they point out the road to the future.

I. What will be the relationship of the Scottish Rite to society at large?
In general, Masonry has often refused to recognize that our society has been through profound and fundamental social and economic changes in the past 30 years. As a result, Masonry strives to help Masons age 60 or more hold onto the world they knew. In contrast, it does little to help Masons age 50 or less deal with the world in which they live each day. While we are still respected in many quarters, it is the same kind of respect offered to aging professors—a respect combined with a feeling that we are venerable but irrelevant. The paradox is that we offer the most relevant commodity possible. We offer the fraternalism and the sense of values which survey results tell us men between 35 and 60 are seeking. But they do not know what we have to offer, and we do a poor job of telling them who we are. To remedy this problem, we must increase the Rite's positive public profile in every appropriate way possible.

II. What will be the relationship of the Scottish Rite to other Masonic Bodies?
Gone are the days when Masonic Bodies could view each other from the heights of splendid isolation. We must encourage full cooperation between our Order and the Grand Lodges, local Lodges, and other Masonic Bodies. We must share resources, both organizational and human. We must be less concerned about what we will get out of it than what Masonry will get out of it. Specifically, the Supreme Councils of the Americas and the world must work together, offering mutual support, and putting personal egos far behind the common good of Masonry.

III. What benefits will the Scottish Rite provide its members?
This question is revolutionary. Traditionally, it has been assumed that the benefits of Masonry flow only in one direction. The Mason was supposed to give his time and money to the Order in return for such benefits as personal growth and the pleasure of duty well performed. Those things are important to today's man, but they are insufficient—he has many opportunities outside of Masonry to work for the same values.

We should develop and promote programs which give him valuable information he can use in daily life—skills such as leadership and management. We should make a special effort in Masonic education, particularly for younger Masons who are famished for Masonic knowledge. The Scottish Rite is known as the "college of Freemasonry." It is time we fulfilled that function much more effectively.

IV. What benefits will the Scottish Rite offer to Freemasons who are not members of the Rite?
Offering benefits to non-Scottish Rite Masons may be one of the best possible ways to attract them to the Rite. We should make Masonic education available to ALL Masons, not just our own members. We should encourage programs in support of Blue Lodge Masonry. Above all, we must avoid the "us/them" attitude between Scottish Rite and Blue Lodge Masons. We are ALL Brother Masons.

V. How will the Scottish Rite teach the lessons and values which are the reason for its existence?
While the Ritual will always be the primary means of instruction in the Scottish Rite, it need not be the only one. We should develop electronic teaching media, interactive computer programs, and every other means to make instruction in philosophy, ethics, and morality not only effective but enjoyable.

VI. How will we fund the programs, facilities, and personnel necessary to implement our Rite's goals?
We must encourage the sale of Perpetual Endowed Memberships while developing alternate means of financial support, such as planned giving and estate planning. We must help our members understand that finances are as important to us as to any organization. Financial strength is one of the most important issues facing us today.

VII. What kind of organization should the Scottish Rite be in the year 2010?
Our Order must be an organization dedicated to excellence IN ALL THINGS, especially in Freemasonry. It should be an organization nationally recognized outside the Fraternity for the benefits we have brought to society. It should be the preeminent source of Masonic education in the world, the creative center of Freemasonry, developing programs and ideas from which the rest of the Masonic community can draw.

Most importantly, we must be an organization with an expanding membership, attracting young Masons with programs which meet the needs of their daily lives.

VIII. How will we bring about the necessary changes to become that kind of organization?
We must welcome new ideas. We must have better communications, especially from the bottom up. Members need to have a means by which they can express their concerns and ask questions. We must make meeting the needs of our members (and discovering those needs) a matter of the highest priority.

These tasks will not be easy. Many run contrary to decades of tradition. Instead of "lashing the wheel" and trusting to fate as we have too often done in the past, we must seek a safe harbor for the Rite today via our own innovative and effective efforts. There truly is no other choice. 

Grand Commander Kleinknecht prepared this message for the XIV Reunion of the Sovereign Grand Commanders of America meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, May 5–9, 1999.