Partner in Ministry: My Next Call West Call Finder

Finding the right pastor, worship leader, or ministry staff member is one of the most significant decisions a congregation can make. For churches and ministries across the western United States, that search just got easier.

MyNextCallWest is a regional, ecumenical job and call finder serving ten presbyteries and their partners across Nevada, northern and central California, Oregon, and southern Idaho. The platform was built to supplement national denominational search systems with something more focused: a tool designed specifically for the needs of this region, and open across denominational lines.

The partnership with Worship Times grew naturally out of an existing relationship. When the Presbytery of Nevada needed a website, they turned to Worship Times, and the experience left a strong impression. When the vision for MyNextCallWest took shape, it was a natural fit to bring Worship Times back to build the platform from the ground up.

From Vision to Platform

The idea for MyNextCallWest has roots in similar regional call finder efforts elsewhere in the country, including initiatives out of the Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey (formerly the Presbytery of Newark), The Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey, and the Synod of Lincoln Trails. These include Midwest Call Finder and Northeast Crossroads Call Finder. When Stated Clerk of Nevada Presbytery, Christy Ramsey, envisioned bringing that model to the Pacific region, he was able to build Synod-wide support for the project. The result is a platform that serves the entire Synod of the Pacific and its partner denominations under the Formula of Agreement, a 1997 accord between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ.

Everything Built In-House

Worship Times handled every aspect of the build. That includes the full website design, the searchable map of member councils and congregations, the job posting system and workflow, application routing, and the directory of participating ministries. Nothing was off the shelf. Each piece was built to work together as a seamless experience for both congregations posting positions and candidates searching for their next call.

Congregations can post any kind of position through the site, from senior pastors and associate pastors to youth directors, musicians, chaplains, administrators, and more. Each posting routes through the appropriate council contact before going live, keeping denominational processes intact. When candidates apply, the system routes applications to the right person based on position type, so pastoral applications go to the council’s search and call contact, and non-pastoral applications go directly to the congregation.

Built to Serve a Growing Network

MyNextCallWest launched with startup support from a grant from the Synod of the Pacific and is operated as a ministry of the Presbytery of Nevada. Membership in the network is free for the first year, with a modest annual contribution invited afterward to help sustain the platform.

The result is a purpose-built digital tool that serves a real and growing need: helping congregations find the people they need, and helping ministers find the communities where they are called to serve.