How would consolidating lodges "spark interest", if you have a large disengaged membership, you are probably just going to end up with a larger disengaged membership, not even member of the lodge they may have some tie to because the were initiated in it, longer a member of their mother lodge. That would likely be counter productive
I think I was a little unclear on this. I was alluding to towns that have more than one lodge and say 2 or 3 (or more) of them are hanging by a thread, haven't updated their building in 40 years(old building and old interior but not in a good way old), way more are dying than joining and they barely have enough folks attending to open up for a meeting on the MM degree. Or even lodges that only have 6-12 people per night but again struggling to gain new members. I think consolidating would allow for lodge funds to go to one lodge vs paying the taxes, utilities and rent/mortgage on several lodges, you'd probably see the sidelines packed a little more since everyone is going to one place and would allow for more fun events. More diversity therefore more interesting topics and ideas.
When you came in, and maybe you did have this experience, what if it was a very large, spacious lodge full of Masons there to support you the night you were initiated vs. 8 or 9 people showed up like I've seen and even sort of experienced myself. Spreading us thin I don't think works. I think small towns with one lodge, sure, they should stay open but if they're the only lodge in a town of 20-30K people, odds are, they're doing OK. I visited a lodge last week in western NY, beautiful lodge, glorious old building from the early 1800s, good ambiance, old furniture (but GOOD old, not late 70s old) had younger members but even on a night when the DGM, Grand Steward and Grand Lecturer came on a official visit, there was only nine people there. Nine. Obviously if I hadn't been there, there'd be only the officers, one sideliner and three distinguished guests. Just down the street, they're is another small lodge that I visited and only 10-12 folks that night. I think that's spread a little thin.
In Oklahoma, how many times have I seen a guy get initiated and we would be scrambling trying to figure out who's going to do what and even once, they almost tried to consider the initiate as one of the seven to open on a lodge of EAs but luckily someone showed up. Every lodge I've been to, TX, OK and NY have all been very low attendance and they all were in towns with way more than one lodges. Even some small towns, like the one in TX I went to, had at least 4 lodges. They were spread thin and I can't imagine how any idealist candidate would view that.
I think too, it may help alleviate some of the rogue lodges that give us a bad name from time to time. I know of at least one lodge in the Midwest that will downright not allow black men to join despite the state allowing black me to join. Small lodge that is out in the sticks sort of, just in the metro area of a much larger city.
I guess the bottom line is, we have a bad business model if lodges are closing or are on the brink of closing as much as people say.
