I have heard stories about how lodges failed, most of it had to do with the members not keeping the lodge properly, and poor management. I didn’t think money would be one of the leading factors as to a failed lodge building.
Maybe I got lucky by joining a wonderful mother lodge with great mentors I get to call brothers. Maybe I got lucky by joining a lodge that rents out its lower complex to operating business, so we don’t have to worry about where the money comes from to maintain our lodge building. Maybe I got lucky because our lodge temple just got a face lift to make the lodge more modern. Maybe I just got lucky.
My journey in Masonry so far had been a wonderful experience, and I feel uneasy not every man that wants to become a mason got the experience I did. Masonry is an experience that must be felt by all 5 senses to fully enjoy.
I have heard stories about Masonry in other countries such as the Philippines where their candidates have to become an EA for a certain number of years and prove excellent proficiency in his PL in order to advance and receive his FC degree. I have heard stories where Masonry is a prestigious organization where only the wealthy can be received.
I agree, I feel as though Masonry today is cheaply and easily obtained. We are selling ourselves short and leaving money on the table. When something is easily obtained, we tend to not value it as much...
As far as meals go, I don’t mind paying the extra $20-$30 for a feast and fellowship. When Masons meet its quality time. ”A better Lodge experience justifies higher costs.”
The Brothers who built your Lodge building, and mine in Centralia, were extremely smart to build the structures to include very significant possibilities for rental income. Unfortunately, most of our buildings don't have those lower floor retail/office spaces, so have to fund themselves in other ways.
I do think that this can be done, as shown by a few of our Lodges, by creating major rental income as event centers. Far too few have pursued these options however. I am unsure as to why, given that most of our buildings are a perfect fit for such uses.
My lodge has been around since 1894. Someone in the 90s made up a really nice photo album of all of the past masters at up to that point. Each one had a small 3x5 card with it outlining the notable events that occured during that WMs term. Some were amusing (bought the secretary a new chair), others interesting (first phone installed in the lodge). One notation was the issue of dues and initiation fees from 1951. Dues was raised from $9 dollars to $12 dollars ($182 dollars in todays money) and initiation fees were raised from $40 dollars to $50 dollars, or $760 dollars today. Certainly a far cry from the $77 dollars (plus GL assessments) we pay today. The last time in the album mentioning dues was 1991, where dues were raised to $40 dollars, which adjusting for inflation, hasn't changed from that $77 dollars, and obviously is a major decrease in cost.
But, in their defense, there was a lot of fund raising going on in the 70s, our lodge hosted Bingo nights and other events, and managed to put away over $100,000 dollars as a nest egg for the future. The lodge building was built mostly by the brothers themselves in the early 1950s at a cost of around $30,000 dollars. It was fortunate that the shipyard was close by, it was suggested that the navy base commander, a fellow Mason, allowed use of government equipment (cranes, salvaged steel, even a gangway off a ship used as a fire escape) to assist in it's erection. We own the building free and clear, the only expenses we have are the annual property taxes, which this year we've filed with the state for tax exempt status.
In addition, we were fortunate enough to benefit from the John Paul Jones lodge consolidation, selling that old building for a nice sum of money back to Gig Harbor. FInancially, we're in very good shape. This is allowing us to spend money doing those needed repairs a lot of lodges need.
The number of lodges needs to retract, especially those close to other lodges. Sell the properties, set aside the proceeds to create a nest egg that generates income, and do those needed repairs and improvements to your lodge. The only thing holding back this sort of activity is personal animosities, grudges, and personal feelings, not logical rational thought.
So, yes, raise dues, raise initiation fees (but reward the new brother when he's raised with something of intrinsic value in trade, like a ring, proper apron, bible, etc.
And again, as a lodge, don't think that once you've raised that candidate to MM your work is complete. It's only the beginning.
"The number of lodges needs to retract, especially those close to other lodges."
I don't think that I agree that the number of Lodges need to retract, but I certainly believe and agree that the number of buildings owned by the fraternity needs to retract.
For example, in the Centralia/Chehalis area, we had two major buildings closer than 5 miles to each other. The building in Centralia is mostly able to support itself through two floors of commercial office space, and Centralia Lodge is on solid financial footing.
The building in Chehalis though had no rental income, and it completely broke the Lodge. To the point that the Lodge could not even afford little things like minimal scholarships and bikes for books.
Importantly, the building broke the Lodge not only in financial terms, but in the spirit of the Brothers as well. Every Masonic conversation and every Masonic event in Chehalis turned to worry and discussion about the old building. No one would come anymore, because no one wants to hear about that, to the exclusion of anything else, for years and years.
At any time, the Chehalis building could have been sold, and Chehalis Lodge could have moved into the building in Centralia. As I say, it is a less than 5 mile drive.
They finally did sell, this past month. But not until the Lodge expended every last dollar, and not until it expended every ounce of its member's energy. They clung to that albatross for so long that there is a very good chance that the Lodge will not survive, now despite the fact that they once again are financially stable due to the sale proceeds.
Had they done this ten years ago, Chehalis Lodge would be a viable organization today.
What is most sad though is what you reference about personal animosities.
Some Brothers of Chehalis Lodge are already considering how they can move out of the building in Centralia, just because they don't like the way Centralia Lodge does some things. They have a good home now, that is almost free to use, but they want to return to the hell of financial insecurity for no reason other than stubbornness. It is sad.
Completely agree. My main concern was the buildings, and potential financial stability it can bring to the fraternity.
One key point I totally believe in is that lodges don’t need 100 members. They don’t need 50 members. We have 140 members, and we’ll see maybe 20. The majority of the work running the lodge is handled by maybe a dozen. Sad sad sad.
But if you have a lodge with a membership limited to, say, 25. Raise dues and fees to be self sufficient. All brothers are expected to make every meeting. The members all help the lodge, are excited to be together, have common interests, believe in doing the ritual with the love and respect it deserves....sigh. That is what masonry should be.
I think this is right, and I think this is what the GL of California is shooting for with its new Lodges. If a Lodge is too large, it is impersonal, and as you say, out of 100 members, maybe 20 or 25 end up being active.
I see nothing wrong at all with a Lodge having a limited maximum membership, and an expectation that members actually attend to remain so.
I do think that we will turn Masonry around. I think that just as they say about folks with drug problems, rock bottom has to be hit first. What I don't know is if we are quite there yet.
Before joining the Freemasons, were you intrigued by tales of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, James Monroe, Samuel Clemens, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Richard Burton and similar historic men who were members of this fraternity with roots in antiquity, and a storied legacy of human triumph?
Were you expecting to make new friends with high minded ideals, and philanthropic activities who would challenge you to be the best man you could be? I personally delayed asking about Masonry until I reached a point in my professional life that I felt I could afford the experience I was expecting. I expected it to cost $1000/year or more. What a surprise when I was told it would be a paltry $30/yr for lodge, and another $30 for Grand Lodge. $60/yr altogether! How can they do it?!?!
I soon found out how. When initiated, were you disappointed to hear the lecture about a white leather apron but have the lodge give a cheap linen one instead, if they gave you one at all?
Were you disappointed when they handed you your working tools, only to take them back?
Were you disappointed when there was no discussion at meetings about the esoterics of the craft, or the politics of free men but just about how much money was lost at the last pancake breakfast or how the building's insurance was canceled?
Were you disappointed to only find a group of misers who don't meet outside of lodge at all, and in lodge have petty squabbles about whether or not to raise the dues from $30/yr to $31 because the Temple board is perpetually behind on the electric bill? I was.
I tried my best to steer my lodge into the type of organization that groomed leaders like George Washington and Samuel Houston to challenge existing governments and found new nations. Where the lodge experience was high quality. Where the regalia is beautiful and provocative. Where real fellowship could happen. I read chapters from "A Traditional Observance Lodge" by Cliff Porter in open lodge on how to create the experience I craved.
"We can't raise the dues to pay for that... We'd lose members!" was the response I got.
Since I can't reform an old lodge, I want to start a new lodge, and I need knowledgeable and capable men of means to help me.
I need at least 28 men who share this vision of a quality lodge and fellowship experience. Where we can join together at parties, take trips. go to sports games, and do active charity work, and we will have the finances to do it.
In 1932, my lodge wrote a set of bylaws of which I have a copy. Dues at that time were set to $7/year. Seven Silver Ounces. That was about a weeks wages for a low level worker such as a janitor or kitchen staff of the time. Today, a similar base level worker makes $546 minimum wage for a 40hr work week in Washington State. And the lodge experience in 1932 was worth a week's wages for a day laborer, or a day's work for a highly skilled professional at the time, and the lodge could afford a new building.
The simple fact is that my lodge didn't tie dues to inflation, and the misers refused to allow the lodge to raise dues to keep up with the buying power of the past and the quality of the lodge went slowly down.
I propose to start a Masonic club with the purpose of establishing a new lodge with Dues of AT LEAST $546/year which will automatically rise each year with the greater of inflation from the previous year or at least 40 times the minimum wage, whichever is GREATER. The exact amount will be set once we have a good accounting of what it will take to have a festive board at every fellowship meeting, the ability to meet at quality locations, and the funds to have quality experience and educational program.
To put things in perspective: The Columbia Tower Club in Seattle has dues of $311/month. For this, they offer the best view from the highest tower in Seattle, an exclusive luxury restaurant, private meeting rooms, special opportunities for travel and art expositions and a host of other exclusive options. We will strive to give a better quality experience than that club and much better fellowship without the penthouse real estate expense plus all the history of the Freemasons and our deep symbolism and allegory.
In the next few paragraphs I will present my goals for this new lodge and how I think it can be achieved, and why I think that instead of struggling to find new members, we will have a waiting list, and we will have to turn men away.
First of all, this new lodge will have bylaws that insure the financial stability of the lodge through the aforementioned automatic adjustments for inflation and economic conditions and no lifetime memberships except in one special circumstance mentioned below.
It has been suggested by another founding member that the lodge not have a fixed meeting location, and I like the idea that we can meet at various special locations. ANY meeting could be held outdoors or at a fine restaurant, or an exclusive club. The location of the lodge meetings will move around between Tacoma and Longview depending on where the bulk of the founding members are from, and where we can find a good locations.
We will maintain a special place for the lodge members to visit whenever they want. A chamber of reflection, a study, a library, and of course storage for jewels and other supplies. This dedicated place will be centrally located.
The idea is to gather men looking for a quality experience. The name of the Lodge isn't important now, and once we have an active club we can come up with a name.
To join the lodge, members and candidates will need to present an initial investment. The exact price of this investment will be determined by the cost of all investigations and other steps involved in vetting the candidation, contributing toward equipping the lodge with a quality experience, and the cost of any benefits received such as a funeral ceremony. This investment fee will also be tied to inflation/minimum wage. Initial investments may include physical donations to decorate the aforementioned location. For example, A collection of 20 leather-bound masonic, historic, philosophical, or similar books of high minded subject matter. The construction of a nice display cabinet or bookshelf, a piece of Victorian leather upholstered furniture or similar accouterments.
Degree fees must cover the cost of quality regalia. Initiation will have a real white LEATHER apron, a real hardwood brass accented 24" gauge, a real hardwood mason's gavel, and a masonic uniform garment to be engraved with the lodge name, number, motto, and the candidate's name and date of the degree. Some maintenance for lodge costumes, boards, and other aspects of presenting the degree. Likewise for Fellowcraft and Master.
The lodge will keep the boring business separate from the fellowship. The purpose of lodge isn't to pay the bills. It's to bond with the brethren. The fellowship lodge will be a Saturday Daylight lodge. A noon festive board meal and a fellowship meeting at 2pm with Educational programs. We will seek the assistance of other successful lodges in WA who have quality experiences, but our aim is to be the best lodge experience in the state.
The boring business of the lodge can be done by just the 7 key officers and anyone else who wants to join, but it will have a stricter timeline to be done quickly and efficiently. Perhaps one week after the fellowship meeting on an evening so as to have 1 week to evaluate the results of the fellowship meeting and 3 weeks to plan the next one. This could be at the central study or even be done remotely via a zoom meeting or something similar. We really don't need to drive several hours just to pay a few bills, discuss the budget, and hear what the Junior Warden is planning for the next group activity.
The concept of a progressive line will be forbidden in the bylaws. Men shall run for office with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, and why they are adequately suited to accomplish their goals. For example, the master should have a plan for 12 educational topics for his annual term, the Junior warden should have 12 outside of lodge refreshment activities. A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position. A good junior warden won't necessarily make a good master, and a man who would be a perfect master, might make a terrible junior warden.
Each office has certain responsibilities and a man should run for the position most suited to his unique talents rather than feel obligated to hit every office from the bottom. The time involved to be an officer of this lodge will be substantial, and likely take several hours a week, and appropriate compensation is part of the purpose of dues which will be adjusted to account for the officer's efforts. Though it is ultimately a labor of love, and a man can expect less per hour for being an officer of this lodge than he would make at his day job in most professions.
Rising in the degrees should not be done quickly. A candidate's understanding of the meaning behind the ritual and it's importance in good lodge practice is just as important, if not more so than memorizing the lines. A significant educational component must be completed. such as the SR Master Craftsman for the Blue Lodge plus 3 in lodge presentations of degree appropriate reading material discussing what the candidate learned from them and how it relates to their previous degree. Driven high achievers may breeze through the degrees, while many might take years to completion. We will raise the bar on standards, but there will be no arbitrary minimum or maximum time between degrees.
There will be a commitment to attend all fellowship meetings from all elected and appointed officers and if a primary cannot attend, they must have a secondary fill their position that month or lose eligibility for office the following year. Fellowship meetings are just that. Fellowship. It cannot be done remotely, and it cannot be postponed. We will meet outdoors if necessary in a space large enough to accommodate adequate distance in the conditions such as the current pandemic occur, but in person meetings will go on.
For the membership, participation in at least 12 events a year, whether outside of lodge fellowships, business meetings, educational/fellowship meetings, or charity/fundraising events will be a requirement or the member is no longer "in good standing" and will lose membership to the lodge and will have to reapply for membership with the new member investment requirements.
As mentioned above, I need 28 master masons with a similar vision of an active lodge. There are 13 officer positions in the lodge, and I want to have a primary and a backup for each position before we petition for a charter. Plus, I want an additional unofficial position of Lecturer.
I believe the Ritual is clear about the responsibilities of the officers but is rarely practiced. The founders of Freemasonry told us how to keep a good lodge if we understand the lines, rather than just repeating them as empty words. The ancient brethren gave us clues to what an officer's responsibilities should be in the words of the opening and closing rituals. I have detailed my interpretation of those responsibilities here. I am starting with JR Warden because I think it is the MOST important position in the lodge for creating real friendship among the membership.
Junior wardens will be required to call the craft to refreshment by organizing at least one outside of lodge fellowship refreshment event every month with assistance from his backup, the stewards and their backups. This can be a picnic with the ladies, a holiday party, a dinner, a fun trip, a visit to a national or state park, a BBQ, Fishing, hiking, a trip to a Seahawks game etc. etc. He is also responsible for arranging the catering for the festive boards.
Senior wardens will be responsible for organizing and accomplishing charity and outreach work to put the lodge out in front of the community and the public with assistance from his backup, his deacons and their backups. He will also be responsible for mentoring candidates. No candidate should be left wanting in assistance from his mentor.
Chaplains will prepare a custom prayer dedication for every get together with assistance from their backup and will keep in touch monthly with any brethren sick or in distress and who can no longer attend lodge. The chaplain will not just call or text, but go out and visit the brethren in person. If a man has been in good standing up until the time where his situation deteriorates to the point he can no longer make the requirements for good standing, the chaplain alone after a visitation may petition the lodge to grant him a special exception to those requirements for the duration of his sickness/distress so he remains on the rolls for visitations, continues to receive the newsletter, and will receive a full honorable Masonic funeral.
Musicians will, with help from their backup, prepare a musical accompaniment for all lodge functions. They should be either a skilled musician or a skilled DJ with a strong Playlist.
Treasurers will, with their backup, prepare and present monthly reports and create budgets for the cost of a good program by all officers. Keep track of the lodge inventory and ensure it is in good condition.
Secretaries will not only keep minutes but also prepare a monthly newsletter and an annual dispensation to go out to all members homes with news of the lodges' doings. Photography and journalism skills are a must. The secretary isn't just the lodge's recorder, he is it's promoter.
Marshalls will assist the masters in all ceremonial functions such as costuming and organizing dress rehearsals for degree work. The Marshall will make sure all the tools and symbols are ready to be given to candidates including custom engraving and etching.
Tyler's will be responsible for guarding the west gate. Including digging into candidates backgrounds, interviews, family, etc that would make them a good addition to this lodge, or direct them to another lodge if they are qualified for Masonry, but not up to our high lodge standards.
Masters will be responsible for making sure that all Other officers are working together to promote the lodge.
Lecturers (the unofficial additional officer position) will arrange educational materials, present programs, Invite expert speakers, and assign speaking actions by candidates to prove proficiency and reading lists, etc.
All these visions must be codified in the bylaws to insure the lodge does not falter in it's mission. of a top notch experience.
If you would like to be part of this endeavor, please reach out to me.
Adding something from above. A membership cap. 28 is what I'm looking for but I think double that at 56 should be the max. Any more than that and it may get out of hand. At that point perhaps a new lodge can be founded by half the membership.
I think that makes a lot of sense. If a Lodge grows too big and begins to become more impersonal, then it can be split into two Lodges. Mother & daughter.
Our grand lodge (NC) requires that the dues cover the opex of the lodge. Our capital needs can not be met with fundraisers. There is a lot of truth in the article. Most buildings will cost around 14-20K a year just to keep operating. Then you must add on a capital improvements budget. Charity, etc. Something we could afford when the avg lodge had 200+ members. But there is a breaking point. The lodge must find other sources of revenue, or look to other places for meetings. It cost money to do things, and what we have had to do in my own lodge is self fund. The active members just come out of pocket and pay our way. fair? No, but its what was done for centuries. Masons have quietly been funding our lodges for a long time.
Perhaps I should post my letter here.
With one little excerpt from the email I sent you a little over a year ago.
I have heard stories about how lodges failed, most of it had to do with the members not keeping the lodge properly, and poor management. I didn’t think money would be one of the leading factors as to a failed lodge building.
Maybe I got lucky by joining a wonderful mother lodge with great mentors I get to call brothers. Maybe I got lucky by joining a lodge that rents out its lower complex to operating business, so we don’t have to worry about where the money comes from to maintain our lodge building. Maybe I got lucky because our lodge temple just got a face lift to make the lodge more modern. Maybe I just got lucky.
My journey in Masonry so far had been a wonderful experience, and I feel uneasy not every man that wants to become a mason got the experience I did. Masonry is an experience that must be felt by all 5 senses to fully enjoy.
I have heard stories about Masonry in other countries such as the Philippines where their candidates have to become an EA for a certain number of years and prove excellent proficiency in his PL in order to advance and receive his FC degree. I have heard stories where Masonry is a prestigious organization where only the wealthy can be received.
I agree, I feel as though Masonry today is cheaply and easily obtained. We are selling ourselves short and leaving money on the table. When something is easily obtained, we tend to not value it as much...
As far as meals go, I don’t mind paying the extra $20-$30 for a feast and fellowship. When Masons meet its quality time. ”A better Lodge experience justifies higher costs.”
The Brothers who built your Lodge building, and mine in Centralia, were extremely smart to build the structures to include very significant possibilities for rental income. Unfortunately, most of our buildings don't have those lower floor retail/office spaces, so have to fund themselves in other ways.
I do think that this can be done, as shown by a few of our Lodges, by creating major rental income as event centers. Far too few have pursued these options however. I am unsure as to why, given that most of our buildings are a perfect fit for such uses.
Whew, quite a few good nuggets in this post.
My lodge has been around since 1894. Someone in the 90s made up a really nice photo album of all of the past masters at up to that point. Each one had a small 3x5 card with it outlining the notable events that occured during that WMs term. Some were amusing (bought the secretary a new chair), others interesting (first phone installed in the lodge). One notation was the issue of dues and initiation fees from 1951. Dues was raised from $9 dollars to $12 dollars ($182 dollars in todays money) and initiation fees were raised from $40 dollars to $50 dollars, or $760 dollars today. Certainly a far cry from the $77 dollars (plus GL assessments) we pay today. The last time in the album mentioning dues was 1991, where dues were raised to $40 dollars, which adjusting for inflation, hasn't changed from that $77 dollars, and obviously is a major decrease in cost.
But, in their defense, there was a lot of fund raising going on in the 70s, our lodge hosted Bingo nights and other events, and managed to put away over $100,000 dollars as a nest egg for the future. The lodge building was built mostly by the brothers themselves in the early 1950s at a cost of around $30,000 dollars. It was fortunate that the shipyard was close by, it was suggested that the navy base commander, a fellow Mason, allowed use of government equipment (cranes, salvaged steel, even a gangway off a ship used as a fire escape) to assist in it's erection. We own the building free and clear, the only expenses we have are the annual property taxes, which this year we've filed with the state for tax exempt status.
In addition, we were fortunate enough to benefit from the John Paul Jones lodge consolidation, selling that old building for a nice sum of money back to Gig Harbor. FInancially, we're in very good shape. This is allowing us to spend money doing those needed repairs a lot of lodges need.
The number of lodges needs to retract, especially those close to other lodges. Sell the properties, set aside the proceeds to create a nest egg that generates income, and do those needed repairs and improvements to your lodge. The only thing holding back this sort of activity is personal animosities, grudges, and personal feelings, not logical rational thought.
So, yes, raise dues, raise initiation fees (but reward the new brother when he's raised with something of intrinsic value in trade, like a ring, proper apron, bible, etc.
And again, as a lodge, don't think that once you've raised that candidate to MM your work is complete. It's only the beginning.
"The number of lodges needs to retract, especially those close to other lodges."
I don't think that I agree that the number of Lodges need to retract, but I certainly believe and agree that the number of buildings owned by the fraternity needs to retract.
For example, in the Centralia/Chehalis area, we had two major buildings closer than 5 miles to each other. The building in Centralia is mostly able to support itself through two floors of commercial office space, and Centralia Lodge is on solid financial footing.
The building in Chehalis though had no rental income, and it completely broke the Lodge. To the point that the Lodge could not even afford little things like minimal scholarships and bikes for books.
Importantly, the building broke the Lodge not only in financial terms, but in the spirit of the Brothers as well. Every Masonic conversation and every Masonic event in Chehalis turned to worry and discussion about the old building. No one would come anymore, because no one wants to hear about that, to the exclusion of anything else, for years and years.
At any time, the Chehalis building could have been sold, and Chehalis Lodge could have moved into the building in Centralia. As I say, it is a less than 5 mile drive.
They finally did sell, this past month. But not until the Lodge expended every last dollar, and not until it expended every ounce of its member's energy. They clung to that albatross for so long that there is a very good chance that the Lodge will not survive, now despite the fact that they once again are financially stable due to the sale proceeds.
Had they done this ten years ago, Chehalis Lodge would be a viable organization today.
What is most sad though is what you reference about personal animosities.
Some Brothers of Chehalis Lodge are already considering how they can move out of the building in Centralia, just because they don't like the way Centralia Lodge does some things. They have a good home now, that is almost free to use, but they want to return to the hell of financial insecurity for no reason other than stubbornness. It is sad.
Completely agree. My main concern was the buildings, and potential financial stability it can bring to the fraternity.
One key point I totally believe in is that lodges don’t need 100 members. They don’t need 50 members. We have 140 members, and we’ll see maybe 20. The majority of the work running the lodge is handled by maybe a dozen. Sad sad sad.
But if you have a lodge with a membership limited to, say, 25. Raise dues and fees to be self sufficient. All brothers are expected to make every meeting. The members all help the lodge, are excited to be together, have common interests, believe in doing the ritual with the love and respect it deserves....sigh. That is what masonry should be.
I think this is right, and I think this is what the GL of California is shooting for with its new Lodges. If a Lodge is too large, it is impersonal, and as you say, out of 100 members, maybe 20 or 25 end up being active.
I see nothing wrong at all with a Lodge having a limited maximum membership, and an expectation that members actually attend to remain so.
I do think that we will turn Masonry around. I think that just as they say about folks with drug problems, rock bottom has to be hit first. What I don't know is if we are quite there yet.
Brethren,
Before joining the Freemasons, were you intrigued by tales of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, James Monroe, Samuel Clemens, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Richard Burton and similar historic men who were members of this fraternity with roots in antiquity, and a storied legacy of human triumph?
Were you expecting to make new friends with high minded ideals, and philanthropic activities who would challenge you to be the best man you could be? I personally delayed asking about Masonry until I reached a point in my professional life that I felt I could afford the experience I was expecting. I expected it to cost $1000/year or more. What a surprise when I was told it would be a paltry $30/yr for lodge, and another $30 for Grand Lodge. $60/yr altogether! How can they do it?!?!
I soon found out how. When initiated, were you disappointed to hear the lecture about a white leather apron but have the lodge give a cheap linen one instead, if they gave you one at all?
Were you disappointed when they handed you your working tools, only to take them back?
Were you disappointed when there was no discussion at meetings about the esoterics of the craft, or the politics of free men but just about how much money was lost at the last pancake breakfast or how the building's insurance was canceled?
Were you disappointed to only find a group of misers who don't meet outside of lodge at all, and in lodge have petty squabbles about whether or not to raise the dues from $30/yr to $31 because the Temple board is perpetually behind on the electric bill? I was.
I tried my best to steer my lodge into the type of organization that groomed leaders like George Washington and Samuel Houston to challenge existing governments and found new nations. Where the lodge experience was high quality. Where the regalia is beautiful and provocative. Where real fellowship could happen. I read chapters from "A Traditional Observance Lodge" by Cliff Porter in open lodge on how to create the experience I craved.
"We can't raise the dues to pay for that... We'd lose members!" was the response I got.
Since I can't reform an old lodge, I want to start a new lodge, and I need knowledgeable and capable men of means to help me.
I need at least 28 men who share this vision of a quality lodge and fellowship experience. Where we can join together at parties, take trips. go to sports games, and do active charity work, and we will have the finances to do it.
In 1932, my lodge wrote a set of bylaws of which I have a copy. Dues at that time were set to $7/year. Seven Silver Ounces. That was about a weeks wages for a low level worker such as a janitor or kitchen staff of the time. Today, a similar base level worker makes $546 minimum wage for a 40hr work week in Washington State. And the lodge experience in 1932 was worth a week's wages for a day laborer, or a day's work for a highly skilled professional at the time, and the lodge could afford a new building.
The simple fact is that my lodge didn't tie dues to inflation, and the misers refused to allow the lodge to raise dues to keep up with the buying power of the past and the quality of the lodge went slowly down.
I propose to start a Masonic club with the purpose of establishing a new lodge with Dues of AT LEAST $546/year which will automatically rise each year with the greater of inflation from the previous year or at least 40 times the minimum wage, whichever is GREATER. The exact amount will be set once we have a good accounting of what it will take to have a festive board at every fellowship meeting, the ability to meet at quality locations, and the funds to have quality experience and educational program.
To put things in perspective: The Columbia Tower Club in Seattle has dues of $311/month. For this, they offer the best view from the highest tower in Seattle, an exclusive luxury restaurant, private meeting rooms, special opportunities for travel and art expositions and a host of other exclusive options. We will strive to give a better quality experience than that club and much better fellowship without the penthouse real estate expense plus all the history of the Freemasons and our deep symbolism and allegory.
In the next few paragraphs I will present my goals for this new lodge and how I think it can be achieved, and why I think that instead of struggling to find new members, we will have a waiting list, and we will have to turn men away.
First of all, this new lodge will have bylaws that insure the financial stability of the lodge through the aforementioned automatic adjustments for inflation and economic conditions and no lifetime memberships except in one special circumstance mentioned below.
It has been suggested by another founding member that the lodge not have a fixed meeting location, and I like the idea that we can meet at various special locations. ANY meeting could be held outdoors or at a fine restaurant, or an exclusive club. The location of the lodge meetings will move around between Tacoma and Longview depending on where the bulk of the founding members are from, and where we can find a good locations.
We will maintain a special place for the lodge members to visit whenever they want. A chamber of reflection, a study, a library, and of course storage for jewels and other supplies. This dedicated place will be centrally located.
The idea is to gather men looking for a quality experience. The name of the Lodge isn't important now, and once we have an active club we can come up with a name.
To join the lodge, members and candidates will need to present an initial investment. The exact price of this investment will be determined by the cost of all investigations and other steps involved in vetting the candidation, contributing toward equipping the lodge with a quality experience, and the cost of any benefits received such as a funeral ceremony. This investment fee will also be tied to inflation/minimum wage. Initial investments may include physical donations to decorate the aforementioned location. For example, A collection of 20 leather-bound masonic, historic, philosophical, or similar books of high minded subject matter. The construction of a nice display cabinet or bookshelf, a piece of Victorian leather upholstered furniture or similar accouterments.
Degree fees must cover the cost of quality regalia. Initiation will have a real white LEATHER apron, a real hardwood brass accented 24" gauge, a real hardwood mason's gavel, and a masonic uniform garment to be engraved with the lodge name, number, motto, and the candidate's name and date of the degree. Some maintenance for lodge costumes, boards, and other aspects of presenting the degree. Likewise for Fellowcraft and Master.
The lodge will keep the boring business separate from the fellowship. The purpose of lodge isn't to pay the bills. It's to bond with the brethren. The fellowship lodge will be a Saturday Daylight lodge. A noon festive board meal and a fellowship meeting at 2pm with Educational programs. We will seek the assistance of other successful lodges in WA who have quality experiences, but our aim is to be the best lodge experience in the state.
The boring business of the lodge can be done by just the 7 key officers and anyone else who wants to join, but it will have a stricter timeline to be done quickly and efficiently. Perhaps one week after the fellowship meeting on an evening so as to have 1 week to evaluate the results of the fellowship meeting and 3 weeks to plan the next one. This could be at the central study or even be done remotely via a zoom meeting or something similar. We really don't need to drive several hours just to pay a few bills, discuss the budget, and hear what the Junior Warden is planning for the next group activity.
The concept of a progressive line will be forbidden in the bylaws. Men shall run for office with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, and why they are adequately suited to accomplish their goals. For example, the master should have a plan for 12 educational topics for his annual term, the Junior warden should have 12 outside of lodge refreshment activities. A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position. A good junior warden won't necessarily make a good master, and a man who would be a perfect master, might make a terrible junior warden.
Each office has certain responsibilities and a man should run for the position most suited to his unique talents rather than feel obligated to hit every office from the bottom. The time involved to be an officer of this lodge will be substantial, and likely take several hours a week, and appropriate compensation is part of the purpose of dues which will be adjusted to account for the officer's efforts. Though it is ultimately a labor of love, and a man can expect less per hour for being an officer of this lodge than he would make at his day job in most professions.
Rising in the degrees should not be done quickly. A candidate's understanding of the meaning behind the ritual and it's importance in good lodge practice is just as important, if not more so than memorizing the lines. A significant educational component must be completed. such as the SR Master Craftsman for the Blue Lodge plus 3 in lodge presentations of degree appropriate reading material discussing what the candidate learned from them and how it relates to their previous degree. Driven high achievers may breeze through the degrees, while many might take years to completion. We will raise the bar on standards, but there will be no arbitrary minimum or maximum time between degrees.
There will be a commitment to attend all fellowship meetings from all elected and appointed officers and if a primary cannot attend, they must have a secondary fill their position that month or lose eligibility for office the following year. Fellowship meetings are just that. Fellowship. It cannot be done remotely, and it cannot be postponed. We will meet outdoors if necessary in a space large enough to accommodate adequate distance in the conditions such as the current pandemic occur, but in person meetings will go on.
For the membership, participation in at least 12 events a year, whether outside of lodge fellowships, business meetings, educational/fellowship meetings, or charity/fundraising events will be a requirement or the member is no longer "in good standing" and will lose membership to the lodge and will have to reapply for membership with the new member investment requirements.
As mentioned above, I need 28 master masons with a similar vision of an active lodge. There are 13 officer positions in the lodge, and I want to have a primary and a backup for each position before we petition for a charter. Plus, I want an additional unofficial position of Lecturer.
I believe the Ritual is clear about the responsibilities of the officers but is rarely practiced. The founders of Freemasonry told us how to keep a good lodge if we understand the lines, rather than just repeating them as empty words. The ancient brethren gave us clues to what an officer's responsibilities should be in the words of the opening and closing rituals. I have detailed my interpretation of those responsibilities here. I am starting with JR Warden because I think it is the MOST important position in the lodge for creating real friendship among the membership.
Junior wardens will be required to call the craft to refreshment by organizing at least one outside of lodge fellowship refreshment event every month with assistance from his backup, the stewards and their backups. This can be a picnic with the ladies, a holiday party, a dinner, a fun trip, a visit to a national or state park, a BBQ, Fishing, hiking, a trip to a Seahawks game etc. etc. He is also responsible for arranging the catering for the festive boards.
Senior wardens will be responsible for organizing and accomplishing charity and outreach work to put the lodge out in front of the community and the public with assistance from his backup, his deacons and their backups. He will also be responsible for mentoring candidates. No candidate should be left wanting in assistance from his mentor.
Chaplains will prepare a custom prayer dedication for every get together with assistance from their backup and will keep in touch monthly with any brethren sick or in distress and who can no longer attend lodge. The chaplain will not just call or text, but go out and visit the brethren in person. If a man has been in good standing up until the time where his situation deteriorates to the point he can no longer make the requirements for good standing, the chaplain alone after a visitation may petition the lodge to grant him a special exception to those requirements for the duration of his sickness/distress so he remains on the rolls for visitations, continues to receive the newsletter, and will receive a full honorable Masonic funeral.
Musicians will, with help from their backup, prepare a musical accompaniment for all lodge functions. They should be either a skilled musician or a skilled DJ with a strong Playlist.
Treasurers will, with their backup, prepare and present monthly reports and create budgets for the cost of a good program by all officers. Keep track of the lodge inventory and ensure it is in good condition.
Secretaries will not only keep minutes but also prepare a monthly newsletter and an annual dispensation to go out to all members homes with news of the lodges' doings. Photography and journalism skills are a must. The secretary isn't just the lodge's recorder, he is it's promoter.
Marshalls will assist the masters in all ceremonial functions such as costuming and organizing dress rehearsals for degree work. The Marshall will make sure all the tools and symbols are ready to be given to candidates including custom engraving and etching.
Tyler's will be responsible for guarding the west gate. Including digging into candidates backgrounds, interviews, family, etc that would make them a good addition to this lodge, or direct them to another lodge if they are qualified for Masonry, but not up to our high lodge standards.
Masters will be responsible for making sure that all Other officers are working together to promote the lodge.
Lecturers (the unofficial additional officer position) will arrange educational materials, present programs, Invite expert speakers, and assign speaking actions by candidates to prove proficiency and reading lists, etc.
All these visions must be codified in the bylaws to insure the lodge does not falter in it's mission. of a top notch experience.
If you would like to be part of this endeavor, please reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Br. Jack Russell Thompson
360 508 8115.
icymudpuppy@yahoo.com
Adding something from above. A membership cap. 28 is what I'm looking for but I think double that at 56 should be the max. Any more than that and it may get out of hand. At that point perhaps a new lodge can be founded by half the membership.
I think that makes a lot of sense. If a Lodge grows too big and begins to become more impersonal, then it can be split into two Lodges. Mother & daughter.
Our grand lodge (NC) requires that the dues cover the opex of the lodge. Our capital needs can not be met with fundraisers. There is a lot of truth in the article. Most buildings will cost around 14-20K a year just to keep operating. Then you must add on a capital improvements budget. Charity, etc. Something we could afford when the avg lodge had 200+ members. But there is a breaking point. The lodge must find other sources of revenue, or look to other places for meetings. It cost money to do things, and what we have had to do in my own lodge is self fund. The active members just come out of pocket and pay our way. fair? No, but its what was done for centuries. Masons have quietly been funding our lodges for a long time.