What is Freemasonry?

Our fraternity is comprised of adult men aged 18 and above, hailing from diverse backgrounds that encompass various countries, religions, races, ages, incomes, education, and opinions, but bound together by their good character and the Mystic Tie. At the heart of our organization lies a body of knowledge and a system of ethics, both of which are based on the fundamental belief that every member has a responsibility to work towards self-improvement while remaining devoted to his family, faith, country, and fraternity.

- Grand Lodge of Kansas website

But...what is IT?

Freemasonry is a fraternity, an organization that teaches knowledge, ethics, and morality. To put simply, "to make good men better." We all know know that "perfection" is unattainable, yet we strive to be ever better, than we were the day before. How? Well, that is really up to the individual on how. For some, it is the ritual of the degrees and the teachings that help the individual to navigate their life and happiness. For others, it is the charity that we give to our communities, which in turn makes us feel better about ourselves for helping others. And still for others, it can simply be the Brotherhood, the camaraderie, the like-minds, that have experienced the same things together, the friendships built that can better a man. It can also be all of these things together!

You will get out of Freemasonry, what you put into it.

What are we NOT?

We know, you've likely seen or read all kinds of weird, occult, satanic, and conspiratorial ideas plastered all over the internet, television, etc. Frankly, it's annoying and hurtful and we wish it wasn't out there because it's a bunch of lies and who likes lies? We try to combat those ideas as much as possible. But whether you believe us or not, here's what we are NOT:

We are NOT a "secret society." You found us right? Perhaps we once were in our long ago founding, but not anymore. Rather a "society with secrets."
We are NOT a cult, you are free to leave the organization and your membership at anytime, nor do we make any "sacrifices." Your family, your occupation, your faith, and yourself come before Freemasonry.
We are NOT a religion, you can believe in whatever faith you choose and whatever god or gods you choose, you merely must believe in a "Supreme Being." And just be a good person!
We are NOT trying to take over the world! (Unless you mean trying to take over the world with compassion!)

What are the qualifications?

Freemasonry allows men, age 18 or older to join. It does not matter what faith you follow, but you must believe in a "Supreme Being," therefore NO atheists. You must also pass a criminal background check.

Additionally, if you are seeking a place where you think an organization may be able to help you advance you in your career, or you are trying find a way to power, or you seek selfishly to only benefit yourself...Freemasonry isn't the right place for you.

We seek people who are trustworthy and honest always, not only with each other, but also with themselves. To be upfront with what you seek and your background and your history, will go a long way for us deciding on whether to bring you into this great organization.

What are the steps in joining?

So after reading all of this, you think you are ready to petition to join? Understand, there is nothing wrong with wanting to meet some of the members of this Lodge before deciding to petition with us. After all, it is understandable if you would want to be comfortable with the members before joining something you don't know much about, just like we want to be comfortable with you before we include you in our fraternity. In which case, we could invite you to a dinner before a meeting to meet the members!

But if you are sure you want to petition with us, then here are the steps:

Contact Us and let us know you would like to fill out a petition. We will then reach out to you about either meeting up somewhere or stopping by the Lodge, get a tour, answer any additional questions you have, and give you a petition to fill out along with background check instructions.
Once you complete filling out the petition and get the results from the background check (print those results) then let us know you are ready to turn it in and we will arrange for a time and a member to turn it in to or perhaps invite you to turn it into us yourself at a dinner before a meeting.
Once those materials are collected, it will be taken to the meeting (that only Masons can attend) and will be read aloud to the membership present. Then, what is called an "Investigative Committee" will be formed, consisting of 3 Master Masons who will arrange to meet with you and essentially conduct and interview with you. As noted before, we want to be comfortable with bringing you into the fraternity, so please be honest.
After the Investigative Committee has met with you, they will bring their findings to the following meeting and present the information and thoughts to the membership present and will then vote on whether to bring you into the fraternity or not.
If the Lodge votes "YES," then you will receive a call within a few days after the meeting, telling you the good news. If the Lodge votes "NO," then you will receive a call within a few days after the meeting, telling you the unfortunate news, but can re-petition the Lodge after 6 months.
Along with point 5, the Lodge will be arranging to schedule your initiation and once scheduled you will be initiated into the fraternity as an "Entered Apprentice." But further steps must be taken before becoming a Master Mason. Those steps will be communicated to you in proper time.