In a sweeping and highly coordinated crackdown that has sent shockwaves through China’s Christian community, nearly 30 pastors and co-workers affiliated with Beijing’s Zion Church—once the city’s largest unregistered house church—have been detained or have disappeared since October 9, 2025. The operation, described by multiple sources as one of the most extensive against house churches in recent years, has unfolded across major cities and provinces, from Beijing and Shanghai to Guangxi and Sichuan, leaving families distraught and international observers sounding the alarm.
The crackdown began with the arrest of Pastor Wang Lin at Shenzhen Bao’an Airport on October 9, according to Bitter Winter. His family has not received any information about his whereabouts, and authorities have refused to disclose the location of his detention. The following evening, Senior Pastor Jin Mingri—also known as Ezra Jin, Zion Church’s founder—and Pastor Yin Huibin were detained at their residence in Beihai City, Guangxi Province. Both men have since vanished from contact, with their families and congregants fearing for their safety. “We are not criminals, we are just Christians,” Sean Long, a Zion pastor based in the United States, told AFP, echoing the sentiments of many affected by the raids.
The scale and precision of the arrests suggest central coordination. Between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on October 10, Beihai police conducted targeted raids on Zion Church affiliates in Beijing. Among those detained were Pastor Gao Yingjia, Pastor Wang Peng, Pastor Sun Cong, Preacher Misha, and Sister Xiaoyu. Police searched their homes and confiscated electronic devices, including computers and mobile phones, as reported by Bitter Winter. Meanwhile, Preacher Zhan Ge was detained in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, and forcibly transported to Beihai for overnight detention. Brother Bei Ze was taken at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and has since lost contact. The following morning, Pastor Liu Zhenbin was arrested in Huangdao, Shandong, and his home was searched. Pastor Mu Chenglin, detained in Chengdu, has also disappeared.
Police reportedly presented arrest and search warrants issued on September 26, 2025, during the raids. Several Zion Church staff are currently held at Beihai No. 2 Detention Center, facing potential criminal charges for “illegal dissemination of religious information via the internet”—a charge increasingly used to suppress online religious activity, according to Bitter Winter and AFP. Grace Jin, Pastor Jin’s daughter, told Fox News Digital, “The charges have been something like online dissemination of religious materials, but they have not given any paperwork out to anyone physically. But they've shown the detention slip, and that's what it says on most people's detention [slips].”
The operation has not been limited to Beijing. According to lists compiled by church members and seen by AFP, police have apprehended church leaders and members in Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Shandong, Sichuan, and Henan. The Associated Press reported that dozens of other church leaders in Beijing and at least five other provinces were arrested on October 10, 2025. Four people have since been released following interrogation, but most remain incommunicado, with lawyers reportedly barred from visiting them in Beihai.
Zion Church’s history is one of resilience in the face of persistent state pressure. Founded in 2007 by Pastor Jin Mingri, the church quickly grew to about 1,500 members, making it the largest house church in Beijing. In 2018, authorities shut down Zion Church, citing its influence and unregistered status, and began closely surveilling Jin, even imposing an exit ban that has prevented him from reuniting with his U.S.-citizen children for more than six years, according to Fox News Digital. “When it shut down in 2018, there was no longer anywhere like physical locations that would ever rent out such a big space for Zion,” Grace Jin recalled. The church adapted by adopting a hybrid model, holding live praise and worship sessions online and organizing small group gatherings. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Zion Church’s online services became a lifeline for Christians across China, drawing widespread attendance as other churches struggled to adjust to virtual worship. “Zion kind of blew up at this point. ... Christians all across China were attending Zion's services because it was the only church service for a while that was hosting things every Sunday online with music and sermons,” Grace explained.
The Chinese government’s campaign against unregistered religious activity has intensified in recent years. In 2022, authorities banned all online religious services without official licenses, and last month, new rules were introduced restricting religious activity on social media, including livestreams, short videos, and online meetings. The targeting of Zion Church’s digital infrastructure—confiscating computers, phones, and financial documents—points to a broader effort to dismantle the networks that have allowed house churches to survive and even thrive under pressure. “It is just a blatant attack on religious freedom,” Grace Jin told AFP. The fear among church families is palpable. “In my mind we've played out this scenario since I was a kid,” she said. “Being a Christian in China, I think you just know that something like this could happen.”
The charges against the detained pastors and church workers remain vague, but the threat of prosecution is real. In recent months, Pastor Gao Quanfu of Xi’an’s Light of Zion Church was detained for “using superstitious activities to undermine the implementation of justice,” and multiple workers from the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen were sentenced to prison on “fraud” charges, with its pastor Yang Rongli receiving a 15-year sentence, as reported by Fox News Digital and AFP. Zion Church’s own financial documents were seized during the latest raids, raising concerns among family members that similar fraud charges could be brought against Pastor Jin and others.
The crackdown has drawn swift condemnation from abroad. The United States, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, called for the “immediate release” of Zion Church members, stating, “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.” China Aid, a U.S.-based religious advocacy group, described the situation as “the worst [level] in 40 years,” with its founder Bob Fu declaring, “Faith is not a crime. Worship is not a crime. Prayer is not a crime. The courage of China’s urban pastors and believers will be remembered in history as a living testimony that the light of Christ cannot be extinguished by tyranny.”
Chinese authorities, however, have rejected foreign criticism. When asked about the detentions, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated, “We firmly oppose the United States interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of so-called religious issues.”
As families wait anxiously for news and the fate of Pastor Jin and his colleagues remains uncertain, the crackdown on Zion Church stands as a stark illustration of the mounting pressure on China’s unregistered religious communities. Whether Zion Church can weather this latest storm is unclear, but its story continues to resonate far beyond China’s borders.
