An open letter to pastors about Charlie Kirk’s death

Dear Pastors,

I hope you are holding steady in Christ during these heavy days. I know your calling is not easy, and I am grateful for the way you labor to shepherd your people. I write this letter to encourage you and to plead with you: please do not stay silent about Charlie Kirk’s death.

It is a defining moment for the Church. This moment is bigger than politics. It is bigger than personal preference or fear of controversy. 

This was not simply another act of violence. It was not another mass shooting or senseless crime, as horrific and heart-rending as those are.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is of epic proportion for our time. We have not seen a public murder of this magnitude in decades. Some are comparing its weight to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. 

In the public square, we witnessed the murder of a brother in Christ, a man whose life was built on proclaiming the Gospel with boldness. He discipled millions through his courage and clarity every single day. He died just after declaring the hope of Christ again. That is the kind of faith we all should long for. 

And the truth is, this is not just his story. It’s now ours. His death is already sparking revival. People are coming to Christ by the thousands, both in America and around the world. Like Stephen’s stoning in the book of Acts, the ripple effects are multiplying the church. What the enemy meant for evil, God is turning into good.

But here is the problem: many churches are staying quiet. 

Pastors, your people are grieving. They’ve seen the footage online. They can’t unsee it. They are shocked, horrified, and asking questions. And when the pulpit is silent, they are left to process their pain and confusion alone.

Please don’t let that happen. This is not a time for silence; it is a time for shepherding.

Here are five reasons why I believe pastors everywhere must speak into this moment:

1. Charlie’s death is fueling the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Revival is happening. People are turning to Jesus because of Charlie’s witness. Will your church join in the work of God’s Spirit or ignore it?

2. Loss of life in the public square warrants coming together publicly to heal. A tragedy this visible demands a visible response from the Body of Christ. To grieve together is to heal together.

3. This is a call to unity. Charlie’s message invites us to lay down hostility and stand together as one family of God.

4. His boldness calls us higher. He lived with fearless faith. He sought out those who disagreed with him to have real conversations. Pastors, we need you to model that same courage now.

5. This is a moment to teach through. Your people need to be reminded that Christ’s Kingdom cannot be shaken, that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” and that hope is alive (Tertullian).

So what can you do? Speak Charlie’s name from the pulpit. Pray for his wife and children. Call your congregation to lift their eyes to Christ. Set aside a separate time for prayer and worship in your church devoted to healing through this tragedy. Teach from Scripture about how God moves in moments of persecution. Lead your people in unity instead of letting them fracture further.

Pastors, it is your role to equip families. 

Kids need help, and parents need help. We are trying to raise our children in a culture that has lost its grip on truth and is running headlong down a dangerous, dark path. The assassination of a Christian leader is a result of what happens when a society abandons God’s wisdom and celebrates confusion instead of clarity, hostility instead of love, and lies instead of truth. Parents are afraid of what their kids are seeing, for what they are being taught, and how they will grow up without moral anchors. 

What went wrong? We stopped discipling the next generation to live out their faith with courage. 

How do we fix it? We return to God’s Word. We name truth boldly. We equip parents to raise disciples, not just church attenders. 

Pastors, you are the ones we look to for that guidance.

Charlie made the church relevant to the young generation. He showed them that faith isn’t boring, outdated, or weak. It’s bold, alive, and worth living and dying for. And now, pastors, we all have to pick up the ball. But make no mistake: the ball is in your court. The way you lead in this moment will shape how the next generation sees the Church, either as a place that hides from hard truth, or as the place where truth is proclaimed with love and courage.

This is not politicizing the pulpit. This is pastoring. This is guiding God’s people through a national tragedy and helping them see Jesus in it. If you don’t know the heart behind Charlie’s life and ministry, don’t start with judgment and accusations. Get to know him by watching more than sound bytes, so you can understand for yourself why he reached millions of people with the Gospel.

If the tables were turned and a Christian leader from the other side of the political aisle were assassinated, we should do the very same thing, because before anything else, we are believers. We honor the witness of those who live and die for Christ.

The Church cannot retreat into silence. 

We must open our doors, lift our voices in prayer, and let the world see that our hope is in Christ. We must welcome those who are searching for answers.

Pastors, I know you bear up under many pressures. I know you can’t please everyone. But this is not about pleasing people. It’s about shepherding the flock God has entrusted to you. Your people are looking to you for leadership right now. Don’t miss the wide-open opportunity.

Charlie Kirk’s death was a tragedy, but it can also be a turning point for you and your church. 

If the Church will rise up, grieve together, pray together, and stand together, the Spirit of God will use this moment to deepen our faith for his glory and the good of our nation. And, he already is! We simply have to join him.

Please, step into this moment. Shepherd boldly. Lead with courage. Lift high the name of Jesus.

With hope and urgency in Christ,

A Fellow Believer