I found this true of the Conservative Baptist Association. The regional rep's main job was to push lemons -- pastors who had gone bust -- onto unsuspecting churches. I've always felt that, where possible, churches should promote from within. We had a college pastor at our former church -- great guy -- who candidated for the senior pastor position when a vacancy arose. But he was turned down by a majority of the congregation, because they viewed him as "the college pastor." So, rather than get a senior pastor that everyone knew, someone who had proven his faithfulness and effectivness in ministry as an associate, the church ended up with the works-oriented, prayer-hating clunker I've been referring to in this thread.
Mark 6:4
But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
It is similar for comedians. You can be knocking them dead across the country, but folks at home just think you are a clown redoing the same stupid jokes.