Posted: 9/4/2015 1:09:28 AM EDT
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At a Grand Lodge visitation tonight our Junior Grand Warden presented some staggering membership statistics. These are from the MSA.
http://www.msana.com/msastats.asp In 1924 there were almost 3.1 million Masons in the US. Peaked in 1959 at 4.1 and in 2013 we are down to 1.2 million. In Texas and California, if they maintain their current rate of declining membership, Masonry could be dead there by 2020. In Utah, we are about even. Last year we raised 699. I don't remember the exact numbers but somewhere around 300 deaths and 450 dimits and NPDs, we have a net loss of around 50. This does not count those dropped for non-progression. We can't do anything about the deaths. What are you doing in your area to address the dimits and NPDs? Do you investigate why? Do you track how many dimit to another lodge vs. drop out all together? Do you ever reach out to those that are dropped for NPD or who don't progress? |
I plotted the data for the whole U.S. from the link you posted to see if any interesting trends stood out. The decline is remarkably steady (to my eyes anyway) from the 1959 peak. An optimist could say that the decline for the U.S. may be starting to level off (?).
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Quoted:
I plotted the data for the whole U.S. from the link you posted to see if any interesting trends stood out. The decline is remarkably steady (to my eyes anyway) from the 1959 peak. An optimist could say that the decline for the U.S. may be starting to level off (?). http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=80339 I truly hope that is the case. |
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Interesting link.
At our lodge we are holding our own. 107 members, of which ~15 are active. But it's been slowly on the upswing. The last meeting we voted in two new members and have a third about to drop a petition. I think in WA we are turning a corner, or at least bottoming. Who knows. |
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Masonry competes with churches and many, many other benevolent organizations for the average good man in the US today. In most other organizations, there is no barrier to entry (degrees and work) and they are more inclusive of wives and family. So, why make this giant commitment to masonry when joining the "WalkForTheCure" is so easy.
In addition, the "No Recruiting" policy doesn't allow our message to get out to the better candidates. Our grand lodges do a poor job of promoting the benefits of joining the craft. Edit: BTW, my lodge has about 160 members and 20 active. We lose about as many to death as we add each year through degrees. Five years ago we struggled to have a quorum for our stated meetings. Now, by focussing on developing new candidates, we average 15-20 for stated meetings. It's about fellowship and personal development, not charity work. |
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Quoted:It's about fellowship and personal development, not charity work. Yes, yes and WHAT!? Freemasonry is the single greatest philanthropic organization in the history of the world. Help, aid and assist! Help, aid and assist! How many times have you said those words? Help, aid and assist! At least three times. You want to get good men to ask more about Freemasonry? Explain the six things we promise. To help, aid and assist our fellow man. And to never cheat, wrong or defraud him. That's it in a nutshell. Help, aid and assist! And, we're damn good at it. Millions upon millions of dollars a day good at it. People walk for the cure because they want to, in some small way, help someone else. Help? Show them burn victims healed. Show them crippled children walking. Show them peripheral artery disease cured. Show them dyslexic children reading. Show them diabetics walking and seeing. Or tell them some vague, "I can't tell you, but we make good men better.". See which one gets more good men who want to better themselves. That's the message we need to be spreading. And we suck at it. |
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the man who brought me told me something that i felt was a very profound statement....
you have a duty to being in one man to replace you on your death and one man to grow the fraternity. to date i have brought in 4 men locally and helped at least 6 here on arfcom to join in their home states. |