This paper aims to highlight the historical role and contemporary challenges of the Maohi Protestant Church (Église Protestante Maohi/ EPM) in revitalizing the Tahitian language. With the continuing dominance of French as the language of instruction in schools, it is evident that there has been a considerable decline in the practice of speaking Tahitian amongst younger generations. Building upon existing studies centred on public education, this research illustrates the supplementary role of EPM between households and public education by providing language education in its spiritual contexts; “the return to fenua”. This study is based on the participant observation of pedagogical and religious activities, and conversations with the younger members of the parish of Maatea, Moorea, aged 18-35. This paper first suggests “haama/ honte” as the predominant psychological factor for the reluctance in speaking the language, which is in turn caused by the absence of regularly speaking Tahitian and the resulting lack of linguistic skill as a consequence. While recognizing EPM’s historical legacy in preserving Tahitian, I also scrutinize the “sacralization” of the language. While their role contributes to cultural empowerment through the language that has been deprived in the colonial context, the use of Tahitian is limited to the religious spheres. The exclusivity of Tahitian in formal religious services and announcement could therefore ostracize the language and its speakers from younger generations, further widening the separation between religiosity and the everyday; “the official discourse in Tahitian” and “the informal conversation in French”.