Forecasting A Bright Future

When you are 300 years old – as our Fraternity is – you measure organizational change in generations and centuries, not years or decades. This truth is hard to grasp when so much of our society is focused on the latest trend, and our businesses are told they need to constantly change or die. And then there is Freemasonry. Think of the old joke, “how many Masons does it take to change a light bulb?” The answer, of course, is “none, because Masons don’t change.” But the truth of the matter is that Freemasonry does change, albeit slowly. The “modern” version of Freemasonry was founded 300 years ago on June 24, 1717. We know we are older than this probably by centuries – but the history of those earlier times was largely unwritten and so it is lost to a “time immemorial.” Over the last three centuries, our modern fraternity has gone through several cycles of membership expansion and contraction. Our popularity seems to run in cycles of about 75 years or so. This was true in the 1700s, 1800s, 1900s, and it will be true in this century too. And each time a new cycle begins, Freemasonry finds ways to preserve its landmarks and yet change or evolve to remain relevant to its membership. We are now seeing the end of the 20th Century World War – Cold War Cycle, and we are poised to begin the next cycle of growth. What will this new cycle of Freemasonry look like? That is the Question. When will it start? Within a decade or so. Who will lead this evolution? It will most likely be the Gen-X and Millennial generations. Here are my forecasts or best guesses on The Question:

• We will emphasize quality over quantity and make being “good men and true” the foundation-stone for entrance into the Fraternity. In an increasingly secular and selfish world, the ethical reputation of our members will become a mark of distinction.
• We will become a more diverse organization, with good men of all races, ethnicities, and religions – all sources of distrust and conflict in the world – welcomed.
• We will find ways to use technology to enhance the lodge experien ce, tell our story to the world, and connect our members wheresoever dispersed.
• Masonic philosophy and education will enjoy a renaissance as both historic and contemporary writers, philosophers, and artists will be more accessible to our members.
• We will see a renewed interest in fellowship, mutual support, and ethical networking as men of different ages, professional backgrounds, and life experiences come together.

We will do a better job of dividing our time between being serious in the lodge room, having fun at refreshment, and engaging in meaningful action in our communities. We need all three, and the next generation of Masons will do this better than the last. So I have great expectations for the Future of Ohio Freemasonry. We are moving in the right direction, history is on our side, generational dynamics are working for us, and the future looks bright.