Chinese authorities have detained the founder of one of the country’s most prominent underground churches, Pastor Jin Mingri, along with more than 20 members of his congregation, in what appears to be a sweeping nationwide clampdown on unregistered religious groups.
Jin, who established the unregistered Zion Church in Beijing in 2007, was taken into custody at his home in Guangxi on Friday. According to a verified detention notice , he is being held on allegations of “illegal use of information networks.” Several other pastors connected to the church were arrested overnight in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang.
Church members said police raided their homes, seizing phones and computers. A statement released by the church noted that at least seven pastors, including Jin—also known as Ezra—could face criminal charges for allegedly spreading religious material online without state approval.
Jin’s daughter, Grace, described the arrests as “a direct attack on religious freedom,” revealing that police have prevented lawyers from meeting detained members in Beihai, Guangxi. “We are not criminals, we are just Christians,” said Sean Long, a Zion pastor based in the U.S. who has been in contact with the families of those detained.
Zion Church once drew around 1,500 members in Beijing before it was forcibly shut down by authorities in 2018. Despite the closure, the church continued to thrive online, hosting virtual services on Zoom and small in-person gatherings across more than 40 cities. According to Pastor Long, this resurgence drew renewed attention from officials. “The government sees Zion as a symbol of defiance,” he said. “This year, they decided to crush that symbol once and for all.”
The crackdown on Zion comes amid growing restrictions on religious practice in China. In recent months, several pastors from other unregistered churches have also been jailed on charges ranging from fraud to “superstitious activities.” In 2022, authorities banned online religious services without government approval, and new rules introduced last month now prohibit preaching on social media or livestream platforms.
The United States has condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of those detained. However, China’s foreign ministry dismissed the criticism, warning Washington against “interfering in China’s internal affairs under the guise of religious freedom.”
Grace Jin, now living with her mother in the U.S., said she has not been able to reach her father since his arrest. “We’ve always known this day could come,” she told Zoyols Blog. “In China, being a Christian outside the state church means living with that constant fear—but also with unshakable faith.”
