BEIJING (Realist English). — Police in China detained dozens of pastors and leaders from one of the country’s largest underground Christian congregations, Zion Church, in what rights advocates say is the most sweeping crackdown on Christians in seven years.
The detentions come amid renewed tensions between Beijing and Washington, just days after China expanded export controls on rare earth elements — a move that drew strong U.S. criticism.
According to church representatives and family members, Pastor Jin Mingri, the 56-year-old founder of Zion Church, was detained at his home in Beihai on Friday evening. He is being held in Beihai City No. 2 Detention Centre on charges of “illegal use of information networks,” a vague accusation that carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
“This is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” said Sean Long, a Zion Church spokesperson now based in the United States. “Police have interrogated more than 150 worshippers and increased harassment of Sunday services in recent months.”
Long said around 30 pastors and church members were detained nationwide over the weekend, though five were later released. About 20 remain in custody, including senior church figures.
Family fears and legal barriers
Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin, said she has been unable to reach her father or his lawyers.
“He’s diabetic and needs medication. We’ve been told that lawyers are not allowed to meet the detained pastors, which is very concerning,” she said.
The crackdown follows new regulations issued last month by China’s top religious affairs authority banning unauthorized online preaching, training, and “foreign collusion.” The measures are part of President Xi Jinping’s broader campaign to “Sinicize” religion — aligning all faiths more closely with Communist Party ideology.
Targeting China’s largest “house church”
Founded by Jin in 2007 after leaving China’s state-approved Protestant church, Zion Church has an estimated 5,000 regular worshippers across 50 cities. It expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic through online sermons and small in-person gatherings.
In 2018, authorities forcibly closed the church’s main Beijing site, and Jin has since been under a travel ban, preventing him from joining his wife and three children in the United States.
Last month, police intercepted Jin at Shanghai airport as he attempted to board a U.S.-bound flight, according to Bob Fu, founder of the Christian NGO ChinaAid.
“The reason is simple,” Fu said. “Zion Church has become a powerful, well-organized movement — and that terrifies the Communist Party leadership.”
China officially recognizes around 44 million registered Christians, but independent researchers estimate that tens of millions more worship in unregistered “house churches” outside state control.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the arrests on Sunday, urging Beijing to “immediately release all detained pastors and respect the right to religious freedom.”
Neither the Ministry of Public Security nor local police in Beihai responded to requests for comment.
Rights groups warn that the detentions signal a new phase in China’s campaign to dismantle independent religious networks, especially those with strong online and international links.
