Warrior1256
Site Benefactor
Exactly!
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Can we?
- Thread starter billyjfootball
- Start date
Brother_Steve
Premium Member
You forgot a few things...
1. Take new candidate.
2. Perambulate vigorously
3. Add light
4. ???
5. Profit
Brother_Steve
Premium Member
What is your lodge doing for programs?
What is your lodge doing to occupy newly initiated, passed and raised brethren?
What is your lodge doing for lodge activities? Cigar nights, st. Patty's dinner, whiskey tasting, breakfast with the Easter bunny, breakfast with santa gets families and friends involved.
What is your overall membership numbers? Can you get enough to commit to an event listed above?
What is the overall attitude of the members? If all they want to do is, "sit on the porch and watch time pass by," you're not going to get where you need to be.
Ugh also forgot to read the minutes!
Bloke
Premium Member
I think "managing their expectations" is important. Freemasonry does not work like a lightening bolt, but more like water on a pebble in a stream. I also tell them, this is your lodge and if you think it needs to be changed - let's do that, and we do, but that's not a common thing - and even when your willing to empower new bros, many of them will just hang back and passively go with the flow.
dfreybur
Premium Member
Please ask yourself what the word "we" means in your question.
Individual - None of us makes it out alive. This is one of the most important lessons in life and in lodge. We build that the next generation might have a larger infrastructure on which to build. Then we move on to the adventure of what happens after life.
Masonry worldwide and nation wide - There are century long trends of Masonry becoming more popular then becoming less popular. Because so many of us become 50 year members we will encounter long time Brothers who their entire life they have seen degree rates in decline, so they think Masonry is dying. But find a Brother who has been around 300 years and he'll report both an up cycle AND a down cycle. Fortunately we call these Brothers "history books".
Lodges - Lodges, like members, are mortal. We need to not focus on trying to make them immortal. Consolidating into vibrant lodges is a part of the deal across the history of Masonry. Lodges are born, learn, work, retire, die. They just go through this cycle on a time scale longer than a human lifetime. Let it happen, and learn from the lodges that are vibrant.
Masonic Renewal. It's a foundation. It's an individual practice. It's a lodge life cycle reality. It's a world wide historical trend.
See that vibrant lodge over there? They are all around. Affiliate and/or emulate. Let go the worry seeing that vibrant lodge.
Individual - None of us makes it out alive. This is one of the most important lessons in life and in lodge. We build that the next generation might have a larger infrastructure on which to build. Then we move on to the adventure of what happens after life.
Masonry worldwide and nation wide - There are century long trends of Masonry becoming more popular then becoming less popular. Because so many of us become 50 year members we will encounter long time Brothers who their entire life they have seen degree rates in decline, so they think Masonry is dying. But find a Brother who has been around 300 years and he'll report both an up cycle AND a down cycle. Fortunately we call these Brothers "history books".
Lodges - Lodges, like members, are mortal. We need to not focus on trying to make them immortal. Consolidating into vibrant lodges is a part of the deal across the history of Masonry. Lodges are born, learn, work, retire, die. They just go through this cycle on a time scale longer than a human lifetime. Let it happen, and learn from the lodges that are vibrant.
Masonic Renewal. It's a foundation. It's an individual practice. It's a lodge life cycle reality. It's a world wide historical trend.
See that vibrant lodge over there? They are all around. Affiliate and/or emulate. Let go the worry seeing that vibrant lodge.
jermy Bell
Registered User
Ok, I've heard this took a turn for the worst in 1717. How long ago was that ? Most of the older brothers I have talked to said their lodges was jumping in the 1960s through the 1980s. The lodge was the place to be. Now, we can' get them in or keep them coming back. We need to get back to those times and recreate what was lost. Not dwell.
cemab4y
Premium Member
See for yourself:
http://www.msana.com/msastats_14to15.asp
Membership numbers are going DOWN, DOWN, DOWN.
Still there are many Masons who are convinced that there is no problem.
http://www.msana.com/msastats_14to15.asp
Membership numbers are going DOWN, DOWN, DOWN.
Still there are many Masons who are convinced that there is no problem.
JJones
Moderator
Historically we've had our ups and downs but we've never had a swelling of membership like we did in the 50's and 60's. In the short term, this was probably pretty exciting but this caused a lot of long-term problems, such as the creation of an infrastructure that couldn't be supported by a smaller membership (some Grand Lodge buildings, for example) and a decrease in quality members that came with a rise in quantity. It's logical to assume that many of these men later rose to leadership positions in the organization as well.
Shrinking membership is to be expected and it can be reasonably predicted that it will keep declining until an equilibrium point has been reached. That being said, having fewer members isn't a problem on its own, it's the complications that arise from having fewer members which will (and is) causing problems.
cemab4y
Premium Member
I disagree, that shrinking membership is "to be expected". Why? The population of the USA, is much higher today, than it was in the 1950's. Even if Masonry had experienced a per-capita decrease in membership, we should have had an increase in membership. The problem is, that the "boom" of the late 50s/early 60's was the result of the WW2 generation entering Masonry. The "boomers" who were born from 1946-1956, did NOT participate in Freemasonry. The result is, we lost an entire generation.
The cause is not entirely lost. We could upgrade and modernize Freemasonry, (while still holding on to the ancient landmarks), and make our Craft more appealing to young men.
Still, too many of our membership are convinced that there is no real problem.
LK600
Premium Member
This ^. Masonry is not dying... the previous iteration is (that which was altered and created by our father's and Grandfathers). It... I hope, is going back to what it was and imo, T.O. style lodges are in that general direction.
EA's don't come back because their not allowed to do or be apart of anything really.
My Lodge is crowded every time an educational piece is provided. I think attention to these two things would help wonders.
dfreybur
Premium Member
Because so many of us become 50 year members, the numbers to look at are the degrees not the members. Degrees bottomed out nearly 2 decades ago and have been growing ever since.
The problem is resistance to invitations. We depend on people who have no idea they will never be invited deciding to come to our meetings and asking for petitions. Of course that keeps the flow of candidates low.
JJones
Moderator
Since we've been talking about membership numbers, I did some math based on the data provided by the MSANA to find out what percentage of the population of the USA were Freemasons. Can someone double check this for me?
In 1924 we had a population of 114,100,000 and about 3,077,161 Freemasons. If we say about half the population was male then that gives us a percentage of about 5.4%.
In 1959, which was our highest membership year based on the data given, we had 4,103,161 members. The US population was 177.8 million, so if we take about half that and calculate the membership percentage we get 4.6%.
The last year we have data on was 2015 so looking at the math of 1,117,781 members with a population of 320.9 million * .5 we get .69%.
TLDR: So we had a higher percentage of membership in 1924 but we have more members overall in 1959. As of 2015, about .7% of the population are Freemasons.
Does anyone know where we can find membership statistics prior to 1924?
Can you give examples of how you would accomplish this?
In 1924 we had a population of 114,100,000 and about 3,077,161 Freemasons. If we say about half the population was male then that gives us a percentage of about 5.4%.
In 1959, which was our highest membership year based on the data given, we had 4,103,161 members. The US population was 177.8 million, so if we take about half that and calculate the membership percentage we get 4.6%.
The last year we have data on was 2015 so looking at the math of 1,117,781 members with a population of 320.9 million * .5 we get .69%.
TLDR: So we had a higher percentage of membership in 1924 but we have more members overall in 1959. As of 2015, about .7% of the population are Freemasons.
Does anyone know where we can find membership statistics prior to 1924?
Can you give examples of how you would accomplish this?
Last edited:
Ripcord22A
Site Benefactor
Brother_Steve
Premium Member
Need to multiply the resulting ratio by 100 to convert to percent.
Ripcord22A
Site Benefactor
billyjfootball
Registered User
Sorry about my topic. I was going through a bit of depression. I was upset because I wasn't in a good place mentally. I'm just a bit lost. My own brother was raised last year. Since his raising, he's been to three meetings total. He's in a funk because he feels like he goes to enough business meetings at his day job.
I started feeling that way, but I realize that we are different people. I appreciate the history of our brotherhood. When I walk into my lodge, I can feel the presence of all the good men who came before. It inspires me to live life the best that I can.
I wish there was a magical solution to dwindling numbers, but I guess it makes us stronger. Those that show up, want this!
Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
I started feeling that way, but I realize that we are different people. I appreciate the history of our brotherhood. When I walk into my lodge, I can feel the presence of all the good men who came before. It inspires me to live life the best that I can.
I wish there was a magical solution to dwindling numbers, but I guess it makes us stronger. Those that show up, want this!
Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry
As I have said before, I don't view it as a problem. Maybe we can get back to basics and not a "service club" which wear aprons.
We have enough members, too many lodges and not enough Masons.
Brother_Steve
Premium Member
The solution is to have a reason to go to lodge. Give me a reason to leave my wife and 5 year old son to go to Lodge.
Yes, my 5 year old goes to bed an hour after I leave the house, but that is time I'm missing when I've already been at work for the day.
My wife can be grading school work, but we enjoy crashing on the couch at night.
For those living alone, it should not be a hard choice between staying home to watch XYZ TV show vs. Lodge. If this is a dilemma, you really need to reconsider what is happening during a meeting.
Yes, my 5 year old goes to bed an hour after I leave the house, but that is time I'm missing when I've already been at work for the day.
My wife can be grading school work, but we enjoy crashing on the couch at night.
For those living alone, it should not be a hard choice between staying home to watch XYZ TV show vs. Lodge. If this is a dilemma, you really need to reconsider what is happening during a meeting.