On Thursday, I was at a meeting in Bellefontaine, Ohio, with a bunch of ministers. It was a meeting to talk about clusters, the new organizational entity for our denomination. We’ll group all churches into “clusters” of, on average, 7 churches. This meeting was intended to help pastors know how to get started in forming clusters. They’re supposed to take the initiative with this, rather than let some central entity put the clusters together.

I’m hopeful. My pastor is going to be in a good group. I know of another cluster that will be a strong group with guys I would enjoy being around. But there will also be some weak clusters–tiny churches, unhealthy churches, part-time ministers, not much happening.

I know of only a few United Brethren bloggers. Three of us were at the meeting, and we had lunch together. There was Ed Gebert, a UB minister who does a blog which he calls Attention Span. There was Tom Datema, the most veteran blogger of us, an early adopter, who does Braintwitch (a name I love). And me. We check in on each other regularly. Ed’s the most long-winded of the three of us. Tom is the most philosophical. I’m the most inconsistent.

Here’s my style. I start with the kernel of an idea and simply start writing. Eventually, I reach a point where I can’t think of anything else to say. And that’s where I stop.