Love it, Bro. Justin. It's hard to talk about these things without feeling like you're going to be criticized or worse yet, even disliked or outcasted but you're telling the truth my friend good stuff.
Thanks! I got a little criticism for this one but "haters gonna hate".
Sounds good.I can't please everybody so I'll just share what's on my heart at the time.
Welcome to my world!Thanks! I got a little criticism for this one but "haters gonna hate".
I can't please everybody so I'll just share what's on my heart at the time.
What???? Who in the world would give you flack coachn? Lol!Welcome to my world!
We (Gen X, Millenials, whatever) have to change that or the fraternity will eventually fade away as it has over the last 50-60 years. Just as a caveat, I don't have a problem with "only" a million members or so in the U.S. but the problem is we are still dropping due to lack of change and finding that sweet spot; combination of strong membership with met expectations.
Funny that you should mention this. I attended a Masonic education night last night at another lodge (a step in the right direction). I'd have to go to all the lodge website in my district to get exact figures, but I'd say that roughly a third to half of our lodges now do some sort of Masonic education/discussion on a regular basis. The topic last night was Freemasonry in Germany and the brother putting it on was a German Mason who has affiliated with the lodge conducting the education. It started off with a slideshow on the history, furniture, habits, and statistics of the lodges in Germany, and then went on to perform the first degree of the AFuAM ritual in English. Needless to say, it was amazing. But, apropos to this discussion, the brother mentioned that his lodge in Munich had dues to 45 Euros per month. In addition at the conclusion of the meeting, there is always a..."suggestion" to deposit some money for the poor, worthy, and distressed. It is customary to not hear the sound of metal, and the smallest folding bill is 5 Euros. The meet weekly, but I don't know if this is only done at stated meetings, so let's assume that brings the total to 50 Euros per month. In today's exchange rate, that's about $732 annually. In addition, each brother wears a tux to all functions and a top hat which he is expected to purchase himself. The time and financial commitment alone shows the seriousness of it. In addition, his Grand Lodge makes candidates wait a year before being initiated. Between the 2nd and 3rd degrees, they are required to visit at least 3 lodges which each need to be at least 50km away. Obviously, these things tend to discourage those who aren't serious about it. In addition, in Germany, Freemasonry is not overly well received, and as such, most Masons tend to be discreet about their affiliation. I could go on and on, but, getting to your 'only a million members portion', Germany's Masonic population makes up .012% of the total population. Doing some quick math, if the United States had this same level of participation, we'd be looking at a little less than 40k Masons in this country. To our minds, that is incredibly low, but it seems to be working for them pretty well.
I too left Masonry for a number of years based on some of these same reasons. I came back (obviously), but the problems still remain. We are working hard to fix the problem, but I don't think it's realistic to keep the fraternity in a healthy state and the bloated numbers we've had in the past. I don't know what the ideal number of Masons is, but I don't think we've reached it yet. In other words, I think we still have lodges over populated by those who are doing more harm than good (even if that's just by doing nothing).
Funny that you should mention this. I attended a Masonic education night last night at another lodge (a step in the right direction). I'd have to go to all the lodge website in my district to get exact figures, but I'd say that roughly a third to half of our lodges now do some sort of Masonic education/discussion on a regular basis. The topic last night was Freemasonry in Germany and the brother putting it on was a German Mason who has affiliated with the lodge conducting the education. It started off with a slideshow on the history, furniture, habits, and statistics of the lodges in Germany, and then went on to perform the first degree of the AFuAM ritual in English. Needless to say, it was amazing. But, apropos to this discussion, the brother mentioned that his lodge in Munich had dues to 45 Euros per month. In addition at the conclusion of the meeting, there is always a..."suggestion" to deposit some money for the poor, worthy, and distressed. It is customary to not hear the sound of metal, and the smallest folding bill is 5 Euros. The meet weekly, but I don't know if this is only done at stated meetings, so let's assume that brings the total to 50 Euros per month. In today's exchange rate, that's about $732 annually. In addition, each brother wears a tux to all functions and a top hat which he is expected to purchase himself. The time and financial commitment alone shows the seriousness of it. In addition, his Grand Lodge makes candidates wait a year before being initiated. Between the 2nd and 3rd degrees, they are required to visit at least 3 lodges which each need to be at least 50km away. Obviously, these things tend to discourage those who aren't serious about it. In addition, in Germany, Freemasonry is not overly well received, and as such, most Masons tend to be discreet about their affiliation. I could go on and on, but, getting to your 'only a million members portion', Germany's Masonic population makes up .012% of the total population. Doing some quick math, if the United States had this same level of participation, we'd be looking at a little less than 40k Masons in this country. To our minds, that is incredibly low, but it seems to be working for them pretty well.
I too left Masonry for a number of years based on some of these same reasons. I came back (obviously), but the problems still remain. We are working hard to fix the problem, but I don't think it's realistic to keep the fraternity in a healthy state and the bloated numbers we've had in the past. I don't know what the ideal number of Masons is, but I don't think we've reached it yet. In other words, I think we still have lodges over populated by those who are doing more harm than good (even if that's just by doing nothing).
LOL! You'd be amazed!What???? Who in the world would give you flack coachn? Lol!
I think forget about what happens in a jurisdiction, if you're looking for success stories, look at individual lodges and how they retain initiates for more than a decade. That's where the answers lay..
Agreed. And, I'm not so much trying to emulate the German (or any other district) model as much as I am pointing out that it is my belief that the large numbers that many Masons look back to and admire have led to our current system and it's downfalls whereas the small numbers of more dedicated individuals seen elsewhere is not the travesty that many here think it to be.
I apologize, apparently German lodges do allow for recruitment. I'm not a fan of it, but then again, I suppose that the 1 year waiting period to join helps to avoid people either being pressured into it by their friends or just joining on a lark.Are you sure that German lodges are invitational? That certainly isn't the information I've gathered.
Are you sure that German lodges are invitational? That certainly isn't the information I've gathered.