Whether you are interested in joining Freemasons or just curious about the requirements of membership we appreciate your interest and hope we can help. However, you should know that you can not become a Freemason through this or any other Website. We encourage you to gather information online. You may be able to request a contact, but membership can only be obtained in person through Masons in your geographical area. The Masonic fraternity and its appended bodies exist in almost every corner of the world. And, where it does exist the process of applying for membership is pretty straightforward. The list below delineates the general procedure for joining the Freemasons. However, each jurisdiction may differ slightly in their own requirements.
The first step toward joining Freemasons is to make contact with one or more members in your locality and express your interest in becoming a Brother. This can be as easy as picking up the local telephone directory, doing a Web search*, stopping by the local lodge building, or it can be quite difficult. In some parts of the world Freemasons are still, out of necessity, very secretive. Those in power, both politically and religiously, may be uneasy with Freemasonry's teachings of universal brotherhood and unbridled freedom. Confused societal opinions sometimes dictate that Freemasons meet and act discreetly. Regardless of the situation, the first step is to contact a Brother in your locale.
*A Web search should include the city, state, province, region in which you live together with words like 'masonic lodge' 'grand lodge' 'freemason'.
Before you can petition for membership at least two members of the Order must be willing to recommend in favor of your acceptance. This may take some time unless you have a previous relationship with members of the lodge and they know you to be a person of honor, decency, and good moral character. One thing you should know up front: no atheist can be made a Freemason. This point is universal the world over. You must believe in and be willing to express your unfeigned belief and trust in God. However, your chosen religion and relationship with God is a personal matter and of no bearing in Freemasonry.
Once you have gotten to know some of the Brethren, and they have come to know you as an honorable man you will officially petition the Lodge for membership. Your petition will have to be signed by those recommending you. There will likely be a residency requirement that requires you to have been a resident within the Grand Lodge jurisdiction for at least a certain amount of time. There is a minimum age requirement of eighteen (18) or twenty-one (21) years depending on the Grand Lodge jurisdiction. And, there will be an initiation fee required, which varies by lodge.
Your petition will be presented (read out loud) at a regular business meeting of the Lodge, and if there is no objection from the members present it will be officially received and a committee of investigation appointed.
You will meet with the committee of investigation whose purpose is twofold; first, to confirm that you are a person of good character who is seeking membership for proper reasons; and second, to answer any questions or address any concerns you or your family members might have about Freemasonry and the Masonic fraternity. If possible, your family and loved ones should be involved in the decision. Freemasonry is not intended to interfere with family, and you should know what you may expect and what may be expected of you. This committee usually consists of three members of the lodge, and they too will be required to sign your petition recommending for or against your membership.
At the next regular business meeting of the lodge your petition will be read out loud again, and if there is no objection at that point the members present will ballot on your membership.
Assuming the ballot is clear you are then a duly elected candidate and your degree of initiation can be scheduled. However, you are still not yet a Freemason. Only when you have received the degree of initiation and taken upon yourself the solemn obligation of an Entered Apprentice are you duly and truly a member. And, you are not a fully-fledged member until you have received the third degree, that of Master Mason.
As you can see, the process of joining Freemasons is not a simple one and the decision to seek membership should not be made lightly. When you join the Masons you make certain promises and place yourself under certain obligations that will continue for the rest of your life. Rest assured, however, that these promises and obligations are nothing from which any good man would dissent.
If you don't know any Masons and are unable to make contact with any Masons in your area here are some links that may help:
The Freemason Network offers a great resource in a form that you can fill out requesting that someone contact you.
If you live in the State of Missouri and would like to request someone contact you, just click here for the Missouri Freemason Contact Form.
Thanks for your interest in joining the Masonic fraternity. If we can answer any questions please feel free to contact us directly, or submit your question to our "Plain Truth About Freemasons" page.
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