Chinese authorities detained at least 30 Christians linked to the Zion Church network over the weekend, marking one of the largest actions against Christians in China in decades. The arrests spanned at least 10 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, targeting members of the unregistered house church network founded by pastor Jin Mingri in 2007.
Jin Mingri, a prominent figure in China’s underground church movement, was detained in Beihai city in the Guangxi province. An official notice from the Beihai public security bureau indicates he is being held in Beihai Number Two prison on suspicion of “illegal use of information networks.” While some church members have been released, most remain in custody with several reportedly held in the same facility as Jin.
Zion Church operates approximately 100 branches across 40 cities, serving over 10,000 followers. Facing increased government scrutiny, the network shifted to a hybrid model of large online services and small in-person gatherings. Official government data reports 38 million Protestants and 6 million Catholics in China, but these figures likely account only for state-sanctioned churches under the Catholic Patriotic Association and the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Unregistered house churches, like Zion, are estimated to have over ten million of additional members.
The detentions follow tightened regulations on religious activities. In 2016, President Xi Jinping called for the “sinicization” of religion, which aligns it with state ideologies. Revised rules in 2005 and 2018 imposed stricter controls, requiring government approval for public worship. Many house churches moved online or closed as a result. Recent months saw increased police questioning of Zion Church members, signaling heightened oversight.
This crackdown follows other recent occurrences targeting unregistered churches. In May, pastor Gao Quanfu of Light of Zion Church in Xi’an was detained for “using superstitious activities to undermine the law.” In June, members of Linfen Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi received prison sentences for fraud. In September, authorities introduced an online code of conduct restricting sermons to licensed groups.
Grace Jin Drexel, Jin Mingri’s daughter, who is now based in the United States, received a text from her father days before his detention, requesting prayers for another pastor detained in Shenzhen. She later learned her mother could not contact him. Sean Long, a U.S.-based Zion Church pastor, described the arrests as a coordinated effort to dismantle the network, noting its resilience despite the 2018 closure of its Beijing venue for refusing surveillance cameras.
Corey Jackson of the Luke Alliance advocacy group called the operation unprecedented in its scope. Open Doors, another advocacy group, suggested Zion’s prominence and scale drew government attention, predicting further actions against house churches, possibly involving fraud or economic crime charges.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized China’s persecution of Christians in a press release. Rubio said, “The United States condemns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s recent detention of dozens of leaders of the unregistered house Zion Church in China, including prominent pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin. This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches. We call on the CCP to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution.”
The Chinese embassy in London stated that citizens enjoy religious freedom under the law, requiring compliance with regulations. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected U.S. criticism, accusing it of interfering in internal affairs. The status of Jin Mingri and other detainees remains uncertain.
