A couple of years after I became a Mason I wrote an article called "What Younger Masons Really Want."

Brother G. Cliff Porter has written a very fine article on the same subject which has been published in the most recent edition of the Scottish Rite Journal. 

Brother Porter lists three areas where older Masons are often misaken about what younger Masons want. 

1. Older Masons often think that younger Masons want everything easier and faster.  But, the truth is that younger Masons generally do not like one day classes and one day conferals but prefer to go through the degrees one at a time.  (In my own experience it is mostly men who are interested in Shrine membership and little else that really want one day classes.)

2. Older Masons often think we have to have low dues to attract younger membes.  But, the truth is that younger Masons are willing to pay higher dues if they are getting something for their money. 

3. Often Masons think that younger men want it to be easy to get in.  So, proficiency exams and memorization has been dropped in many jurisdictions.  The truth be told, younger Masons want to be part of something that you have to work to be a part of.  They don't want to get in easily and don't want to be part of an organization that anyone can join without proving themselves to be worthy.   

Could one of the reasons be that we aren't attracting or keeping younger men in the fraternity is that we just think we know what they want and have never bothered to ask them?

When I became a Mason I had the opportunity to go through a one day class.  I turned it down in favor of going through the degrees one at a time.  In the same vein when I joined a Royal Arch chapter I joined one that does the Chapter degrees over a period of several months rather than in a festival or one day class.

Rather than young men wanting it easy could it be that many Freemasons just want an easy fix to the membership problems we have?  Isn't it about time we stopped talking about more membership and focused on raising up more Masons who know what Masonry is, know what it teaches, learn the rituals and history of the craft, and really want to be Freemason?