China Intensifies Crackdown on ‘Underground’ church Network, Detaining Pastorโค and Congregants
BEIJING – Chinese authorities have detained the pastor and members ofโ Zion church, โaโค rapidly growing networkโค of unregistered protestant congregations across China, signaling โa renewed โขescalation inโ the governmentS suppression of religious โขgroupsโข operating outside state control. โThe crackdown, whichโ beganโค in recent months, has forced the churchโฃ to shift operations โคlargely online while raising concerns about the future of religious freedom in the country.
The arrests โcenter around jin Mingri, the founder of Zion Church, andโ numerous congregants. While the exactโ number of those โขdetained remains unclear, the move โฃreflects a โคbroader trend ofโฃ increasing restrictions on โreligious practice in China, particularly targeting groups deemed aโ threat to โขstate authority. โThe crackdown comes despite the church’s notable growth -โ boasting approximately 100 branches in โ40 cities and over 10,000 followers – and highlights the risks faced byโฃ those who practice faithโฃ outside ofโข officially sanctioned institutions.
Jin Mingri’s commitment โขtoโ faith was profoundlyโ shaped by the Tiananmen Square โฃmassacre in 1989,โ despite not being present at the event.โ “It was a very โimportant โmoment. โขThroughout his life,โค he believe[d] in the country,”โ said Jin Drexel, a memberโ of the church. “[Namun] when that belief is betrayed, his entire outlook collapses. It wasโ a big moment in his faith journey.” This disillusionment led him to establish an self-reliant church afterโ becoming dissatisfied with theโค doctrine of the state-controlled Three-Self Church, whichโ prioritizes โฃloyalty to the government. “He can’t โbe a pastor becuase โคit’s not a churchโ that pleases God. You can’t serve two masters,” Drexel explained.
Founded in 2007 after Jin Mingri studied at a seminary in California โขwithโ his family, Zion Church initially operated asโค a small โฃhouse gathering of around 20 peopleโ in Beijing. It grew steadily, eventually holding services in a large hall within an office building. Though, this increased visibility attracted scrutiny fromโข authorities. In 2018,โข officials โrequested the installation ofโข CCTV cameras within โthe church building, aโ demand the congregation โขrefused.
Following theโค refusal, church leadersโฃ reported facingโฃ increasing harassment, โขculminating in the church’s closure.โ The government subsequentlyโฃ imposed an overseas โขtravel ban on jin โฃMingri andโฃ placed him under strict surveillance.His family and severalโ church members, including Sean Long, were โable to fleeโฃ to โคthe United States.
Zion Church has since transitioned to a hybrid model, utilizing large onlineโ services โalongside smaller,โ private in-person gatherings. Despite the ongoing persecution โคand the โuncertain fate of thoseโ detained, Sean Long remains optimistic. โ”Persecution cannot destroy the church,” he stated. “ifโ we look at โhistory,where โthere is oppression,there isโฃ also anโ awakening.”