Return to Join

Path to Membership

Freemason Membership Requirements

You must be of good repute.
In Iowa, you must be at least 18 years of age.
You must believe in a Supreme Being.
You must live a moral and ethical life.
You must have a strong desire to make yourself a better man and make your community and the world a better place to live.
You must be tolerant of other religions, cultures, and points of view.

Beginning the Process of Becoming a Freemason

  1. You will need to contact your local lodge.  You may be able to receive contact information by simply searching on Google for the lodge nearest you for contact information.
  2. If you know a man who is currently a Mason, you may ask him to provide you a petition for membership.
  3. If you do not know a Mason, you may contact the Grand Secretary at the Grand Lodge of Iowa via phone 319-365-1438, or email at gs@gl-iowa.org .  He can help you by giving you contact information for the lodge nearest to you.

Then What Happens?

  1. If you have not already filled out a petition for membership, you will be asked to fill one out and submit it to the Lodge.
  2. A committee of members from the Lodge, which is called the Investigating Committee, will contact you to arrange a meeting.  They will want to speak to you in order to discuss your character and make sure that you have a legitimate interest in Freemasonry.  It will also give you a chance to ask them questions about the fraternity so you can be assured that it is something you would like to invest your time in.
  3. Your request for membership will be balloted upon by the lodge’s members.
  4. You will be advised of the date of your admission.

There are Three Principal Degrees of Freemasonry

“The word degree, in its primitive meaning, signifies a step.  The degrees of Freemasonry are, then, the steps by which the candidate ascends from a lower to a higher condition of knowledge.” Albert G. Mackey, The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry , 1873

The degrees are: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason.  Each of the degrees requires the candidate to participate in the drama being presented.  They are all of a very serious nature and not in the least demeaning of the candidate.