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Episode 123: 18:53 Working Tools Series - More Members!
After World War II, Freemasonry in the U.S. exploded in size—membership climbed to over four million by the late 1950s. But that wasn’t unique. Similar booms had happened before, and each time, the same issue followed.
The organization wasn’t built to handle rapid growth, and the system couldn’t keep up. And when the surge ended, membership didn’t stabilize—it declined for years.
The real question isn’t why it grew—it’s why people didn’t stay.
As numbers increased, the experience thinned out. The focus shifted to numbers over substance, and attempts to boost membership (like lowering…
The skinny
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