Page 20 - April May 2024 MFM.indd

From the Editor
Reid Gardiner
The Weight Of Things To Come

Proposed resolutions are being offered and considered In 1957, the Grand Lodge of Montana had 26,307
during this time of the year. By analyzing past legislation, members, its highest membership point 91 years
we can see that numerous proposed legislative topics after its formation. Upon reviewing our membership
address the symptoms of an issue but fail to address history, we recognize a noticeable trend. Shortly after,
the actual cause or issue: membership. Montana’s membership began to decline and took a
significant hit in the 1960s.
This presentation aims to analyze whether past
legislation has been successful and to examine our In the past 20-30 years, there have been numerous
past better to find our way in the present and future. commonly proposed resolution topics, such as:
The included graphs visually depict the correlation
between increased legislation and membership decline Combining the office of Secretary and Treasurer.
(Figure 1 and Figure 2). In short, look at the graph of The number required for a quorum.
our membership by year; you will see a steep decline in Making the Deputy Grand Master the Grand Master
membership; then, ask yourself if we are on the right elect.
track: did or would the proposed legislation improve Simplifying balloting for Lodge officers, removing the
things? Was there a difference between the actual and need for multiple ballots.
the desired effect? Forgiving NPDs for reinstatement.
Simplifying proficiencies or eliminating proficiencies.
If we take the time to look back through the years of our Electing the JGW from a pool of candidates.
Grand Lodge history within the “Annual Proceedings,” Electioneering.
we learn that during the first several years, legislation Permit 18-year-olds to petition for membership.
was conducted by the giants of Montana Masonry, Background Checks.
who were the architects of Masonry in Montana; the The per capita and dues topic has probably been the
Grand Master, Committees, and other Grand Lodge most discussed topic of legislation.
Officers made recommendations. It is evident that
they addressed many crucial issues in our Constitution Although some of the proposed legislation was
and Code of Statutes, and Masonry flourished. accepted, others were not, and it often focused on the
symptoms of a problem.
The members were more engaged in the fraternity,
making Masons, and building new Lodges during the The age requirement for membership petitions has
great building era of the Grand Lodge of Montana, been reduced to 18 years old, and despite receiving
which spanned from 1866 to around 1960. They enjoyed some young men, a few have joined.
celebrating the brotherhood of the Craft and learning We offered one-day classes. Receiving the degrees
through Masonic education. It’s worth noting that over time was dropped, or even in person, by letting
Lodges only submitted a small number of proposed someone else or in their place receive all the degrees
resolutions before the 1960s. at once.
Guarding the West Gate has become less critical to some
Since 1970, there has been a rise in the number of lodges members who are okay with allowing those with felony
proposing legislation, and although some have been convictions to petition for the degrees of Masonry or be
rejected, they have often been reintroduced in a similar reinstated from a felony conviction.
form in the years following. The repeated occurrence It was said that lodges working with the Master Builder
of this proposed legislation is unique because it wasn’t program would gain community visibility and attract
addressed in the first hundred-plus years. members.
Decades of debate and legislation have been devoted
Understanding the decline in Grand Lodge membership to the question of whether anyone who sells alcohol
is crucial. As membership decreases, we see a rise in should be a Mason, followed by years of discussion and
proposed legislation that often seeks to diminish or legislation on whether alcohol should be allowed at
eliminate perceived obligations or alleviate an assumed Masonic events.
burden from lodges. This trend is evident in our Many lodges have been in crisis mode for some time,
archives and written records, such as the proceedings, and featured programs for a given year have resulted in
which reflect the ongoing decrease in membership more of a short-term solution.
numbers. Over the last two or three decades, numerous None of our Lodges miraculously had new members
legislative proposals have been introduced on several due to the positive image of Masons in movies or books.
topics; frequently, the real issue was membership. The decrease in members has a direct impact on the
per capita.
Montana Freemason Page 20 April/May 2024 Volume 100 No.2