The Quiet Leader Who Stood Up Front — Lessons from the Installation of Worshipful Master Chad Zopf
- trevor3861
- Dec 20, 2025
- 9 min read
Written By Noble Trevor Eliott - Assistant Rabban, Al Shamal Shriners
A reflection from the December 6, 2025 Balmoral Lodge No. 185 Installation
The Smallest Man in the Room — Until He Stands
There’s a moment at almost every installation when the room shifts.
Sometimes it’s during the procession, when the officers take their places. Sometimes it’s during the charge, when the words land with unexpected weight. And sometimes, like today, it happens at the Festival Board — after the plates have been cleared, after the laughter has softened, after the toasts have begun to blend into a familiar rhythm of fellowship.
But then a Brother rises — and suddenly, everyone leans in.
That was Worshipful Master Chad Zopf today.
You could feel it. Not because he commanded the room, or projected his voice like a drill sergeant, or carried himself with the regal dignity of a man twice his size.
It was the opposite.
It was the quiet confidence — the kind that settles on a Brother who has carried chairs, cleaned up, put on costumes, moved tables, and done the work nobody writes in minutes or thanks you for later. The kind of confidence that comes from knowing that everything you’ve done — all the invisible service — has led to this.
Earlier, during the toast, Past Potentate Art Nordholm — who served Al Shamal Shriners with distinction in 2022 and again in 2024 — joked that maybe Chad walks among everyone “unknown” because he’s small enough that sometimes “we can’t see him.” The room laughed — but it wasn’t the laughter of mockery. It was the laughter of brothers who knew exactly what he meant:
Chad doesn’t seek attention. He seeks to serve.
And today, when he stood as Worshipful Master of Balmoral Lodge No. 185, we finally saw — clearly — the kind of leader that quiet service produces.
His story is one worth telling. Because in many ways, Chad represents the heartbeat of Masonry and the Shrine: the Nobles who don’t need a spotlight to make a difference, but who shine anyway.
And his installation today — the words spoken, the humour, the humility, the gratitude — gave us a living example of the EMVP framework in action.
Core Principle: Purpose Leads, Energy Follows
Chad’s installation wasn’t just a transfer of authority.
It was a case study in Purpose, supported by steady, reliable Energy.
This article focuses especially on these two pillars of EMVP:
Purpose: Why we serve, and how it shapes our leadership.
Energy: The fuel that sustains our temples, lodges, and units.
Chad’s journey shows how these two elements feed each other — how a noble purpose can ignite the kind of energy that moves a lodge, a unit, or a temple forward.
But his story also reveals something else: quiet leaders matter just as much as loud ones.
In fact, sometimes they matter more.
The Story Beneath the Toast: What We Learned About Leadership Today
If you listened carefully at the Festival Board tonight, you didn’t just hear jokes and gratitude.
You heard the blueprint of a leader.
When Past Potentate Art Nordholm stood to toast him, he said something profound — hidden
among the humour:
“A true Mason is the man who walks quietly, does his duties, and doesn’t seek greatness.”
Art isn’t just any Noble. He is a man who led Al Shamal Shriners twice — once in 2022, and again when he was called back to the throne in 2024. His leadership was marked by humility, consistency, and a deep commitment to the Craft.
So when he said those words, the room didn’t just laugh — it listened.
Because Art has seen leadership in all its forms.And he recognized the same qualities in Chad.
Chad has been a Flyer. A mascot. A reliable hand. A man who helps first and complains later — usually after taking off a hot costume and consuming a gallon of water.
He has stood in the background, the sidelines, the back row — not because he lacked ambition, but because he was too busy working.
This is the kind of leadership Masonry was built on.
The world loves charismatic leaders.Instagram loves loud leaders. Organizations often reward assertive leaders.
But Freemasonry has always been built on quiet leaders — the ones who carry the chairs without being asked, who show up early, who take the less glamorous roles, who listen more than speak.
Chad is one of them.
And today, all those small moments came together in a single one: the moment he stood in the East.
The Military Mess Hall Lesson — A Story Inside a Story
Near the end of the night, Chad told a story that made half the room laugh and the other half nod knowingly.
He spoke about the military mess halls — the three separate drinking messes:
Junior Ranks
Senior NCOs
Officers
And how they don’t mix because you “don’t want us telling them good ideas.”
That earned a chorus of chuckles.
But then he tied it into his own Masonic journey.
Twenty-one years ago, he walked into Balmoral Lodge not intending to join, but simply to DJ a Ladies’ Night. And just like in the mess hall, he found himself surrounded by familiar faces — former colleagues, people from his past, people he respected.
That’s when the seed of his Masonic journey was planted.
Not during a lecture. Not during a ritual. Not during a recruitment conversation.
But during a moment of fellowship — that thing we sometimes forget is actually the core of everything we do.
He wasn’t convinced by a sales pitch. He wasn’t pressured. He wasn’t “brought in.”
He was welcomed.
And that welcome brought him back five months later — papers in hand.
This is Purpose. This is Energy. This is Mentorship, even if nobody called it that at the time.
It is the living rhythm of EMVP:
Energy: The laughter and atmosphere that made him feel at home.
Mentorship: The people he recognized, who unintentionally guided him.
Visibility: The fact that Balmoral Lodge was alive enough to host social events where friendships form.
Purpose: The deeper meaning he felt returning again and again.
The mess hall story wasn’t just a story.
It was a reminder:
We don’t recruit with pitches. We recruit with connection.
Purpose: The Reason Chad’s Leadership Matters
When he delivered his speech tonight, Chad didn’t talk about titles.
He talked about:
mentorship
gratitude
fellowship
service
his lodge
his family
his friends
his Shrine connections
the officers he will be working alongside
Not once did he talk about prestige.
This is Purpose.
Purpose isn’t found in the East. Purpose is brought to the East.
Purpose isn’t written into a title. It’s written into the heart of a leader.
Chad’s Purpose is simple but powerful:
To serve. To uplift. To contribute. To honour those who lifted him.
His gratitude to Neville Bush and Trevor Morton — Masons who guided him early in his journey — communicated something that every reader of this book understands:
We don’t become leaders on our own.
We’re shaped by the Brothers who nudge us, mentor us, and occasionally give us that “kick in the keyster” when we need it.
When Chad thanked his family — especially his wife Barb, who tolerated those late-night Lodge nights — he reminded the room that our families support our Purpose just as much as we do.
When he thanked the Shrine brothers like Past Potentate Art Nordholm, and made fun of himself for sweating in mascot suits, he reminded us that Purpose is rarely polished — often it looks like effort, humility, and humour.
When he spoke about his daughters volunteering at Shrine and Lodge events, he reminded us that Purpose is generational.
This wasn’t a speech.
It was a window into why men like Chad matter — and why we need more like him.
Energy: The Fuel Behind the Journey
Chad’s installation wasn’t high drama.
It wasn’t theatrical.
It wasn’t filled with profound one-liners meant to be engraved on plaques.
But it was filled with Energy.
Not the kind that shakes chandeliers.
The kind that sustains organizations.
Steady energy. Reliable energy. Showing-up energy.
The kind that doesn’t burn bright — it burns long.
Every temple needs this energy.Every lodge needs this energy. Every Noble has the capacity for this energy.
But the question is: Do we nurture it?
Do we celebrate it? Do we empower it? Do we connect it to Purpose?
Chad’s installation is a reminder:
Energy grows where Purpose is clear.
Mentorship: The Invisible Thread
Throughout the evening, you could hear the names.
Morton. Bush. Roninelli. Seabrave. McGregor.
And of course, Past Potentate Art Nordholm, whose mentorship extends far beyond Shrine titles — a Noble known for guiding others with humour, plain speech, and heart.
These weren’t just acknowledgments.
They were the threads that pulled Chad forward.
Mentorship is rarely formal in Masonry or the Shrine.
It’s:
A Brother saying, “Come with me.”
A Past Potentate saying, “You’re ready.”
A friend saying, “You’ve got this.”
A mentor saying, “You messed up a bit there, but here’s how to fix it.”
Chad listed names not because protocol demanded it, but because those names had shaped his Masonic identity.
This is why mentorship matters.
Today’s officers — in any lodge or temple — need someone to read the map with them.
Tomorrow’s leaders need someone who believes in them before they believe in themselves.
Mentorship isn’t teaching. Mentorship is walking beside.
And when Chad spoke about the officers who will support him this year — visibly, tangibly — you could hear the mentorship cycle continuing.
Visibility: Why Chad Stepped Forward
Chad has been visible for years — but not in the “look at me” way.
He has been visible through presence.
Shriners see him as a mascot, a Flyer, a worker, a consistent volunteer.
Masons see him as a helper, a contributor, a Brother who cares.
Tonight, he stepped into a new kind of Visibility — one that invites others to follow.
Visibility in EMVP is not about ego. It’s about example.
When Nobles see someone like Chad stand in the East, they think:
“If he can do it… maybe I can too.”
That thought — that spark — is what keeps the pipeline alive.
People don’t follow perfection. They follow authenticity.
Chad’s authenticity was visible tonight. And it made others visible too.
What Every Shrine Temple and Lodge Can Learn from Today
1. Celebrate the Quiet Workers
They are the backbone. Show them off. Honour them. Spotlight doesn’t weaken humility — it strengthens culture.
2. Recruit with Fellowship, Not Pressure
Chad joined because he felt welcome.That’s the greatest recruitment strategy ever created.
3. Build Teams, Not Titles
His gratitude to his officer line was genuine. No leader succeeds alone.
4. Tell Stories That Build Identity
His mess hall story was simple — but powerful. Stories bind us. Stories recruit. Stories teach.
5. Honour Families
Barb and the kids weren’t footnotes. They were part of the journey.
6. Let Humour Be Part of Leadership
The self-deprecating jokes. The mascot comments. The laughter.
Humour opens hearts.
7. Recognize Mentors Publicly
When he listed those who helped him — including Past Potentate Nordholm — he modelled mentorship for the next generation.
8. Embrace the Long Game
Twenty-one years from DJing to Worshipful Master. Good leadership takes time — and that’s okay.
Mentorship & Legacy: What Chad Shows Us About the Future
Near the end of his remarks, Chad spoke about the new Brothers — the young men beginning their Masonic journey.
He looked at them the way a seasoned officer looks at a new recruit:
with hope, with expectation, with belief.
He told them the truth:
“We’re not going to hold this lodge up by ourselves. We need you.”
That sentence matters.
Because it’s not just true for Balmoral Lodge. It is true across North America. It is true in every Shrine temple. It is true for every unit, club, and officer line.
Legacy isn’t built by wishful thinking. It’s built by:
mentoring
inviting
encouraging
trusting
and raising up the next generation
Chad models this perfectly.
His mentors raised him. Now he raises others.
This is the heartbeat of Freemasonry. This is the heartbeat of the Shrine. This is the heartbeat your every Masonic body is trying to reignite.
Reflection Questions
Who are the “quiet leaders” in your lodge or temple — and how can you lift them up this year?
Think of a Brother who helped you early on. Have you thanked him lately — or paid it forward?
Where are you being called to step forward with more Purpose or Energy? What small action could you take this week?
Closing Story: The Last Toast
At the very end of the night, as tradition requires, the final toast was spoken:
“Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.”
But tonight, the words felt different.
They felt like a promise.
A promise that the lodge is in good hands. A promise that service matters. A promise that quiet leadership still shines. A promise that the heartbeat is alive and well.
And as the room relaxed into dessert and conversation, and the bar prepared to reopen, something simple but powerful lingered in the air:
When a man like Chad Zopf stands in the East, the whole lodge stands a little taller with him.
That is Energy. That is Mentorship. That is Visibility. That is Purpose.
That is the heartbeat.
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