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
- 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.
- If you know a man who is currently a Mason, you may ask him to provide you a petition for membership.
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
- Your request for membership will be balloted upon by the lodge’s members.
- 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.