We have a friend who is a Baptist minister. He wanted to have church services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and his deacons nixed it. They told him church services would interfere with families personal plans. Our friend was quite taken aback and asked the deacons whose birthday are we celebrating?
They let him go soon after.
Well, I understand that it cuts both ways. Not to say your friend is a bad pastor -- sounds like quite the opposite -- but when a church congregation keeps a clunker on for a long time, there's something wrong with the elder board, and probably the entire church.