Prophets Then and Now

I'm  reading through the Old Testament right now and am up to Ezekiel. Before starting a book I like to read the introductory notes in my HCSB Study Bible. In this case, one comment that caught my attention was that both Isaiah and Ezekiel had to preach to a people who would not heed what they had to say. I believe that Jeremiah basically fits that description too. These men had a call from God to minister to people who were not going to listen. Their success was based on their obedience and faithfulness to the message . . . not the response of the people. Isn't it interesting how far we have come?

For many ministers today, thier success is based on how many followers they have, how entertained their hearers feel, how many people "accept Christ" under their ministries, how big their churches are, etc. What happens to preachers/pastors/ministers who preach and teach accurately and faithfully but never draw big crowds or never see much spiritual growth within their congregations? They typically do not last long in those churches. 

Give some thought to this concept. What would the church at large be like if preachers were judged on their messages rather than the number of responses? What would the church be like if Christians were committed to their churches regardless of how entertained they felt? What would the church be like if  preachers stayed the course like Ezekiel and Isaiah instead of playing the consumeristic games that allowed them to keep their jobs?