There has always been an interesting tension in the role of pastor. On the one hand s/he has been called by God. On the other hand, s/he is accountable to and dependent on the approval of the congregation s/he serves. To be called by God is to listen to a voice that transcends the immediate fears and prejudices of the particular historical moment. You are to speak to a people the Word of God. Few people would suggest that our lives are so pure that the Word of God would always be an affirmation of what we are currently doing. So the Word of God, when truely preached, often comes as a challenge to our current lives. To have our lives challenged is not comfortable and can be very upsetting.
To be dependent on the people of a congregation, because they pay your salary, and to be called to challenge their way of life is not an easy task. Of course the question can and should arise as to whether the preacher is indeed proclaiming the Word of God or simply sharing his or her own biases. I have rarely heard a congregation in tension with their pastor debate the issue from that perspective, however. Usually the debate centers around whether we are losing members or upsetting prominent members or causing upset in the community. The main issues seem to center around comfort of the members and survival of the church as an oranization.
If a congregation were asked whether they want their pastor to proclaim the Word of God even if that word might make them angry, what do you think their response would be. I once had a member tell me that he definitely wanted me to proclaim the truth and not simply try to please people. That same man a few years later left the church because he was upset over some of the things I was saying. It is not an easy role that the pastor has in being faithful to his or her call.
