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Getting Started with Indiana Freemasons


Thank you for taking the first steps toward learning more about our great fraternity. This is the first of a number of messages you will receive from me to help advance your understanding of the fraternity. At each step of the way, I will provide an opportunity to show your further interest in joining by completing a “Ready to Join” form. This form trigger a phone call from a member of our membership team to put you in contact with a local lodge to talk in person.

The Grand Lodge of Indiana is the governing body for Freemasonry in Indiana. We share our jurisdiction with The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana with whom we share mutual recognition.

What steps are required to become a Freemason in Indiana?

  1. In addition to filling out the detailed interest form, you will want to reach out to a local Masonic Lodge to meet in person. Freemasonry is a brotherhood, and you should feel an initial friendship with the men that could eventually become your brethren. The "best" next step is to visit a lodge about an hour before their next stated (business) meeting. You can find lodges near you and their stated meeting nights on this website. Don't hesitate to just show up during the social hour which is usually the hour just before the listed meeting time. Feel free to "audition" several lodges to find your best fit.

  2. Once you find the Masonic Lodge you wish to join, you will need to ASK for a formal petition and pay the initiation fee which varies by lodge. No one should approach Freemasonry in any other manner than of their free will. As such, while no longer a formal rule of the fraternity, history states that a man should ask to become a member rather than be asked.

  3. You will need to pay for and complete a background check. We only accept background checks through our approved vendor. Learn More Here.

  4. Your petition will be read at a future meeting of the lodge. Your petition will be assigned to three members who will complete an interview.

  5. Your petition will be presented at the next stated meeting (must be at least three weeks after the initial reading) for the report of the investigation committee, verification of background check, and balloting.

  6. You will be contacted by the Lodge Secretary with the outcome of the vote, and if successful, he will work to coordinate your Entered Apprentice Degree.

Sincerely,
Andy Stephens
Grand Lodge of Indiana, PR & Marketing Committee Representative

Ready to Join

Reminder - The strongest way to become a member is to attend the social hour, usually occurring the hour before a lodge's stated business meeting. These meetings usually occur once per month. To find a lodge near you and to learn when their stated meetings are, please visit the Lodge Finder. You don't need to make contact first, just show up!