An Open Letter to the Church on My 22 Years in Ministry

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Written by David Nwanekpe

September 1, 2003 – September 1, 2025

Table of Contents

Here is my Open Letter to the Church across denominations.

To the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant,

Dear Church Fathers,

I write this letter with an open heart though wounded deeply by the swords that pierce the ears of the faithful in today’s Church. The echoes are not of truth and grace, but of betrayal, suppression, and a gradual deafening to the voice of the Spirit.

THE ENEMY WITHIN

The Greatest Threat to the Church Today

The Battle We Never Expected

In every generation, the Church has faced opposition—persecutions by emperors, opposition from secular governments, mockery by atheists, and ideological resistance from other religions. We braced ourselves, armed with prayer, scriptures, and unity.

But in today’s ecclesiastical landscape, the most insidious and destructive attacks do not come from outside. They are not hurled by pagans or enemies of the faith. No, the Church is bleeding from within. The betrayal is internal. The enemy is not always the world—it is sometimes those we ordain, those we trust, and those we sit with in council.

The Church’s Wound: Self-Inflicted

There is no greater wound than that which comes from a trusted hand. The Church suffers not from outside mockery but from internal compromise.

Priests have molested children.
Bishops have covered scandals.
Churches have embraced sexual perversion and called it love.
Members have abandoned integrity while sitting on pews.
Leaders, once servants, now lord it over others like Pharaohs.

This is not the work of outsiders. These are church people. These are insiders. These are leaders. The rot is internal.

When the Shepherds Fail the Flock

A shepherd is meant to guard the sheep. But when the shepherd turns predator, the sheep scatter.

The scandals of molestation within the Roman Catholic Church are not mere headlines—they are wounds inflicted by systems that prioritized institutional reputation over repentance and accountability.

The new Archbishop of Wales recently admitted she lied about her sexuality—a shocking confession not from the laity, but from the highest level of Anglican leadership. Elsewhere, another Archbishop was accused of selling church properties for personal gain, while another has been implicated in forgery of signatures—all under the cloak of sacred robes.

The worst part? Crimes like these are covered up by the Church itself. When the institution protects sin instead of condemning it, the light of the Church flickers dangerously close to darkness.

Oppressors in Robes: A Hierarchy in Crisis

Even more painful is the rise of oppression within church leadership.

The pulpit that once uplifted the downtrodden has now become a throne for bullies in cassocks. Young clergy are oppressed by senior clergy—not mentored but marginalized. Their gifts are suppressed, their voices silenced, their callings diminished—simply because they are not part of the established political order.

The hierarchy of the Church is falling apart, not structurally but spiritually. Titles have replaced humility. Authority has become tyranny. Respect has turned into fear. And love—the very essence of the Christian gospel—has left the Church across denominations.

The Shameful Silence of the Sanctuary

We have given the world enough reason to laugh. The critics of the Church are no longer liars. They are witnesses.

But who will tell the Church the truth? No one—because Her leaders have closed their eyes. And anyone who dares to speak is branded rebellious, divisive, or too “judgmental.”

Like Herodotus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and the rest of the prophets, we need more men and women who will cry aloud, spare not, and lift up their voices like trumpets.

We do not need more motivational talks.
We do not need more miracle crusades.
We need a moral awakening.

Pulpits That Entertain While the People Decay

The miracle-centered preaching that fills our churches has played no small role in this decay. While people lie, cheat, oppress, and fornicate, we promise them healing, breakthrough, and divine favor without calling for repentance.

Our pulpits have become theatres, not threshing floors. We entertain the masses while their souls rot.

Where are the sermons that condemn sin?
Where are the preachers who weep before they preach?
Where are the messages that restore godly fear?

Who Will Save the Church?

Who will bear this cut? Who will weep at the altar and cry, “Restore us, O Lord”?

We need more than revival services—we need repentance.
We need leaders who fear God more than man.
We need members who pursue holiness, not popularity.
We need prophets in our pulpits again—not entertainers.

The solution must come from within—just as the rot has come from within.

Conclusion: Return to the Cross

The Church must examine herself. The days of blaming the devil or the world are over. The mirror is in front of us.

We have deceived ourselves, betrayed our calling, and insulted our Lord. But hope is not lost. There is still power in the blood of Jesus. There is still grace at the cross. But we must return—not with songs, but with sorrow. Not with programs, but with penitence.

The Church is not beyond saving—but She must first admit that She is wounded, and that the wound is self-inflicted.

Let us repent, reform, and rise again.