Masonic Lodge minutes: what to record, what to leave out, and a ready-to-use template

The minutes are the official record of a Lodge communication: a short, chronological account of what the Lodge did. They are among the Lodge's most important documents — they prove what was resolved, who was elected and who received a degree, and they preserve the Lodge's history for the brethren who come after.

This guide covers what the minutes must contain, what to leave out, how they are approved, and ends with a template you can adapt. The order of business and the exact forms always come from your Grand Lodge's law and your Lodge's by-laws.

Who writes the minutes

Writing them is the duty of the Lodge Secretary. The charge read at installation in most American monitors puts it in one phrase: record the proceedings of the Lodge proper to be written. During the communication the Secretary takes notes; afterwards he writes the minutes in final form, to be read and approved at the next Stated Communication — as read, or as corrected.

Once approved, the minutes are not rewritten. If an error turns up later, the correction is moved, approved and recorded in the minutes of the communication where it happened. That is what gives the record its value: what was approved is what stands.

What the minutes must contain

A common order of business for a Stated Communication — check yours against your by-laws:

1. Opening: the degree on which the Lodge was opened, the time, and who presided. Officers serving pro tem are noted.
2. Attendance: the number of members and visitors; visitors' names and Lodges usually come from the Tyler's register.
3. Previous minutes: read and approved, as read or as corrected — including any Called Communications since the last Stated.
4. Committee reports: above all, investigation committees on petitions.
5. Ballots: the result only — elected or rejected.
6. Correspondence: Grand Lodge circulars and letters from sister Lodges, with any action taken.
7. Bills and the Treasurer's report: bills read and ordered paid, and the balance reported.
8. New business: petitions received (with their recommenders) and the committee each was referred to; motions and their outcome.
9. Degree work: who was initiated, passed or raised.
10. Good of the Order: a brief summary of what matters for the record.
11. Closing: the time the Lodge was closed.

Template: minutes of a Stated Communication

Adapt the order and wording to your Grand Lodge's forms. Anything in brackets is to be filled in.

MINUTES OF THE STATED COMMUNICATION
[Lodge name] Lodge No. [number], [F. & A.M. / A.F. & A.M.]
[City, State] — [Month Day, Year]

The Lodge was opened in due form on the [Third] Degree at [7:30 p.m.],
Worshipful Brother [name], Worshipful Master, presiding.
[Number] members and [number] visitors were present, as recorded in
the Tyler's register. [Officers serving pro tem: ...]

1. Minutes: The minutes of the Stated Communication of [date]
   [and of the Called Communication of (date)] were read and approved
   [as read | as corrected: ...].
2. Committee reports: The investigation committee on the petition of
   Mr. [name] reported [favorably | unfavorably].
3. Ballot: A ballot was taken on the petition of Mr. [name], who was
   declared [elected | rejected].
4. Correspondence: [Grand Lodge circular no. ..., regarding ...;
   letter from ... Lodge No. ..., regarding ...]. [Action taken.]
5. Bills: Bills totaling $[amount] were read and ordered paid.
   The Treasurer reported a balance of $[amount].
6. New business: The petition of Mr. [name], recommended by Brothers
   [name] and [name], was received and referred to an investigation
   committee of Brothers [names].
7. Degree work: [Name] was [initiated an Entered Apprentice | passed to
   the degree of Fellowcraft | raised to the sublime degree of Master
   Mason].
8. Good of the Order: [brief summary].

There being no further business, the Lodge was closed in due form
at [9:15 p.m.].

[Name], Secretary

What to leave out

• Ritual work. "Opened in due form" and "closed in due form" are enough. The minutes record that the work was done, not how.
• Ballot counts. The ballot is secret; the minutes record only whether the candidate was elected or rejected.
• Debate. Record the motion, who made it and the outcome — not who said what.
• Private matters. A brother's illness, a relief request or his dues arrears belong in the officers' private records, not in minutes that every member hears read.

Writing best practices

1. Write within days, while memory is fresh. Backlogged minutes are imprecise minutes.
2. Use the same template every time, so writing is faster and reading is easier.
3. Check names and numbers — candidates, recommenders, amounts — against the petitions and the Treasurer's figures.
4. Number the minutes and file them in order. Together they are the Lodge's history.

Common questions

Who approves the minutes of a Called Communication?

In many Lodges they are read and approved at the next Stated Communication, together with the minutes of the previous Stated. Your by-laws decide.

Should the minutes name the brethren present?

Most Lodges record the number of members and visitors and keep the names in the Tyler's register or the attendance record. Visitors' names and Lodges are often listed, since they matter for the record of visitations.

Paper or digital minutes?

The signed record follows your Grand Lodge's requirements. Filing and finding them later is where digital helps: in our Masonic Lodge secretary software, the minutes are attached to the meeting on the calendar, with their approval recorded, and they are visible only to brethren of the degree the meeting was opened on. Ballots are recorded as elected or rejected, with no count, and petitions carry their investigation committee to the ballot.