URGENT UPDATE: Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri of the Zion Church in Beihai, China, has been detained along with dozens of other church leaders in a significant crackdown on underground churches nationwide. This alarming development occurred on Friday evening in the Guangxi province, as reports indicate that authorities are targeting leaders for allegedly “illegal dissemination of religious content via the internet.”
Pastor Sean Long, a fellow church leader currently studying in the United States, confirmed this unsettling news, stating, “This is a very disturbing and distressing moment… a brutal violation of freedom of religion.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry, along with local authorities, have yet to comment on these detentions, which could escalate tensions between the government and the growing underground church movement.
Zion Church, one of China’s largest unregistered congregations, has seen its membership surge from approximately 1,500 in 2018 to an estimated 5,000 or more today. This growth was catalyzed by the pandemic, as the church provided online prayer sessions for believers unable to attend government-sanctioned services. Grace Jin, Pastor Jin’s daughter, remarked, “Zion blew up after COVID, so that irked the government.”
This crackdown follows a troubling trend in recent years, with authorities intensifying efforts to suppress independent Christian congregations. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the government has destroyed crosses, burned bibles, and closed churches, mandating loyalty to the Communist Party over religious freedom.
Reports from church leaders in China reveal that police have been entering worship sites and conducting raids, prompting growing fears among congregants. Bob Fu, founder of the U.S.-based religious group China Aid, described the current situation as “the most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution against urban independent house churches in China in over four decades.”
Grace Jin, who resides in the United States, has not seen her father in six years. “He felt that as a pastor he had to be with the flock,” she expressed, highlighting the personal toll of these detentions. Despite the risks, Pastor Jin returned to China to lead his congregation, a decision that now places him in grave danger.
The global community is urged to pay attention to these developments, as the situation continues to evolve. With tensions rising, church leaders and activists are calling for immediate action to secure the release of detained pastors. As this story unfolds, the fight for religious freedom in China remains critical and urgent.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing situation.
