Lets just all be honest, the form of Masonry we have for the most part nowadays is not going to work. The idea of 'the more the merrier' is failing. When we get down to about 100K to maaaaybe 400K members we'll actually be at a sustainable level. It'll mean higher dues but better quality to put it simply. Get rid of these small lodges that are hanging by a thread that can barely get enough people showing up to open on all three degrees much less perform a degree for a new member. They are mostly hopeless. Every metro area should only have 2 or 3 lodges at most, big towns maybe 1 or 2 and areas that fall into that less than 100K people should at best have one lodge in the entire area, not 9 lodges.
Example, Rochester NY area has had upwards of ten lodges in the metro area and only one or two are really thriving where at least 20 or so members show up regularly. Since I've lived here the last two years at least three maybe even four lodges have closed and several others barely hanging by a thread. The formula that is being used right now is not working. It's time to condense and concentrate efforts into fewer lodges. This will decrease burn out, increase camaraderie and make for a more enjoyable experience. This includes PHA in my opinion.
Is Masonry a form of labor? Sure, but it should be a labor of love not something you dread. If it's a hassle then why bother? When four or five members are carrying the weight of a lodge, that's a problem. Lets be honest here, a lodge may have 150 'members' but only about eight to fifteen, maybe twenty, show up regularly and rarely overlapping which leaves you with about eight to twelve consistently at meetings. Of those only about three to five are pulling most of the weight with ritual, trustees issues, and admin issues. That's a recipe for disaster. We have to make it more enjoyable, whatever that entails, or people won't even bother. It doesn't sell itself like it used to.
EDIT: Let me be so bold as to say 50K to 150K would actually be the sweet spot perhaps based on a much lower amount of lodges.