Charter and By-laws
Why this matters
Your Lodge exists because of a sheet of paper. It is called the charter (or warrant of constitution), it was issued and signed by the Grand Master and the Grand Secretary on a specific date, and it names the brothers who were the first three principal officers of the Lodge. The original (or a sealed copy) hangs in the Lodge room. Without it, the Lodge cannot legally open. With it, and only with it, the Lodge can govern itself under its own by-laws.
Most members never read either document. Both are short, both are public to the membership, and both contain the answers to ninety percent of the procedural questions that come up at stated meetings. Knowing what is in the charter and what is in the by-laws (and where the line between them sits) is how a Mason stops being a passenger and starts being a member of the corporation.
What this chapter is
A Lodge exists because the Grand Lodge says it exists, by a published charter (or warrant of constitution) granted to the named brethren. Inside that charter, the Lodge governs itself through its own by-laws, which must be approved by the Grand Lodge and may not contradict it.
How to practise it
A lesson walks the same seven steps every time. Read the intro, study the material, then drill it through Quick Fire, Matchup, Sequence, Flashcards, and the Mix capstone. Each step opens to the next; no choices to make in the middle of the work.
What if · take it further ▸
Sit with this
- Ask your Lodge Secretary for a copy of your Lodge's by-laws. Read them. They are short. Note one rule you did not know existed and one rule you knew existed but had never read in its actual wording.
- When was your Lodge chartered? Who were the first three principal officers? The names are on the charter that hangs in your Lodge room. Most members have never looked. It takes about ninety seconds.
Connect to
- Lodge Furniture
Lodge Furniture. The charter is one of the items that must be present in the room before a Lodge can be opened.
- Grand Lodge and Subordinate Lodge
Grand Lodge and Subordinate Lodge. The Grand Lodge issued the charter and must approve every by-laws change.
- The Grand Lodge of New Mexico
The Grand Lodge of New Mexico. The chartering body for every Lodge in this state.