There are those that claim that Regular Freemasonry’s membership is in a freefall decline. Those of us that are regular masons have denied that, and noted that the decline is due, primarily, to the passing of our older brothers as the Great Architect of the Universe calls them to that lodge which never closes.
The Grand Lodge of California has seen the decline slow, and begin, in fact, to reverse itself as we continue the upward trend in degree conferrals which started over seven years ago. For example, in the fiscal year:
2006 our lodges conferred 4,260 degrees, 1,840 Entered Apprentices, 1,223 Fellowcrafts, and 1,197 Masters.
2007 our lodges conferred 4,405 degrees, 1,951 Entered Apprentices, 1,236 Fellowcrafts, and 1,218 Masters.
As a matter of note, 2007 had more entered apprentices initiated than any other year since 1988, and more total degrees since 1991. In 2007 alone, we received 1,968 petitions for membership.
The membership is growing again, with more and more petitions and more and more masters being raised. Its great to see, and puts the lie to the predictions (actually hopes) of those opposed to regular Masonry and their claims of doom and gloom for Freemasonry.
Why is the fraternity growing?
Well, the honest answer to that has little to do with the Fraternity’s efforts per se. The change is due to a perfect storm of public awareness, offering the candidates what they are seeking, giving them value for their time, a younger membership, and filling the vacancy in their hearts that our modern society is creating.
Public Awareness
Due to movies like National Treasure, magazine articles like Inside the Masons in News and World Report, episodes of The Discovery Channel Conspiracies and Myths and The Secret of Freemasonry, books like Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, Brad Meltzer’s Book of Fate and numerous articles and press articles, Freemasonry has attracted a lot of attention. Men are looking for meaning in their lives, and they are seeing Freemasonry for the first time, and in it, are seeing the answer to their need.
Offering them what they seek
One item that can be missed in the numbers offered above is the number of Entered Apprentices that are coming back for their Fellowcraft degree, and the number of Fellowcrafts that are being raised as master masons. This has always been an issue, as we have always seemed to initiate 8 for every 5 that come back for their Fellowcraft degree. The Grand Lodge has looked for the reason for this, and I suspect the reason is disappointment.
We will always have men disappointed in what they find, due to inaccurate expectations. I know a man in Oregon that joined the fraternity, expecting to see child sacrifice, black magic and a secret cabal bent on taking over the world. Needless to say, he did not find it, and never came back for his Fellowcraft.
Time is valuable
There are some, I am sure, who were not impressed with the level of knowledge they found in their lodge, nor in the quality of their degrees. It would be foolish to assume otherwise. There are a hundred reasons a man does not come back for his Fellowcraft, or Master Mason degree, but they all pretty much boil down to a lack of value for their time.
In Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, one of the issues he raises is that men are busy, they have endless distractions available to them in the time they have left over from work and commuting. The time a man spends with anything is an investment, and most want a return for their investment, and if they don’t see one, seek something else.
Freemasonry promises a timeless ritual, fellowship, morality, philosophy and knowledge. We all know that they find most of this, though sometimes not enough. The Grand Lodge of California has created a Masonic Formation process, one that teaches the lodges how to give the candidates what they are seeking, to form them into masons.
The lodge membership is getting younger
Another change that we are seeing in the lodges is a declining average age. Historically, since the formation of the Grand Lodge of California, the average age of joining has been 45… for over 150 years. Today, the average age of new masons is approaching the mid 30’s. This is due, in part, to lowering the minimum age for joining from 21 to 18, and the other reasons noted above.
Today, they are finding the craft to be younger, more vibrant, more responsive. Its no longer an old man’s coffee club, not that it ever was… however, there was a time not so long ago that a young man, knocking at our doors, found himself in the company of his grandfather and great grandfather, and its always difficult for a young man to see someone fifty years his senior as a brother and fellow.
Today, many lodges are visibly becoming younger, and with a younger lodge comes greater vibrancy and activity, and like a reverse “Catch-22”, the lodge cycles up into greater and greater life and excitement as more and more young men join. This is also in part what is happening in
Finding what is missing from society
Another reason for the change is that young men are finding society to be… uncaring, cold, and solitary. Some see a lack of moral value, and a lack of perceived value in the individual. We have a president who recently received oral sex in the Oval Office and claimed it wasn’t sex. We have politicians of every stripe saying and doing whatever they think they need to do to get them elected. We see our leaders being arrested, indicted, and resigning their offices and high stations in disgrace.
These young men want guidance, they want a firm line, they want tradition, history and fraternity, things that society is not offering them. They see these movies, read the books and articles, and come to the doors of our ancient and honorable craft seeking that which society is not offering them.
It would be nice if the Grand Lodge could take credit for all the positive changes. Truthfully, the Grand Lodge has been responsive to the needs of the members all along and has a concerned and dedicated staff that has served the craft well. Our Grand Masters have been good masons who have carefully tended to the current and future needs of the craft, and our Grand Secretary, V.W. John Cooper has been a visionary who has worked tirelessly for the benefit of the craft.
Freemasonry is on the correct path in
May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.
