Four pastors reflect on their first calls, search process

Presbyterian News Service: Finding their place

Four pastors reflect on their first calls, search process

GREENSBORO, N.C. — In the language of the fly fisherman, achieving the proper “balance and tension” is essential to mastering that elusive art. And, when that same fly fisherman happens to be a candidate for the ordained ministry, the same goes to finding that first call.

Mindful of the delicate balance and tension needed to reconcile what he identified as two distinct approaches to the pastoral search process, the Rev. Karlin Bilcher, a 2007 graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, approached seeking a call with a fly fisherman’s patience and determination.

“On one level, there is a business aspect to the search process, which is just how the world works,” said Bilcher, who first enrolled with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Church Leadership Connection (CLC) in July 2007. CLC is the PC(USA)’s Internet-based matching and referral system, which connects entities seeking leaders with leaders seeking a call to service. …