US EditionChina Detains Dozens of Underground Church Pastors in Crackdown
- Chinese authorities arrested at least 30 members of the Zion Church network in the largest mass arrest of Christians in decades.
- Beijing's push to regulate religion targeted congregations refusing state control, with activists saying arrests came amid demands for CCTV inside worship halls and the 2018 shutdown of Zion Church.
- With more than 10,000 followers across 40 cities, Zion Church has long been targeted, while Jin Mingri's disappearance and Pastor Sean Long's resilience highlight the crackdown's impact.
- Grace Jin Drexel's message preceded public confirmation of the crackdown when her father last Friday asked to pray, and Pastor Sean Long said `Zion is the chicken, they're killing the chicken to scare the monkeys`.
- China officially reports 38 million Protestants and six million Catholics, while tens of millions who attend underground churches reject state control, so actions against one network may resonate widely.
135 Articles
135 Articles
Why the US Should Prioritize the Release of Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri
Why the US Should Prioritize the Release of Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri acabral-sanche… Fri, 10/17/2025 - 12:22 SVG Reports Oct 17, 2025 Hudson Institute Why the US Should Prioritize the Release of Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri Olivia Enos Senior Fellow Olivia Enos Caption Mingri “Ezra” Jin, head pastor of Zion Church, is seen on September 12, 2018, in Beijing, days after authorities shut down one of China’s largest…
China’s Arrests of House Church Pastors Draw Sharp US Response
Chinese authorities have detained dozens of pastors and members of Zion Church, one of the country’s largest unregistered Christian networks, in what rights groups and observers called the communist regime’s most sweeping crackdown on underground churches in decades. The arrests, carried out across multiple cities beginning Oct. 10, targeted the leadership of the influential house church network founded by Beijing pastor Jin Mingri, also known a…
Christians in Fear as China Arrests Leaders
Grace Jin Drexel hadn't expected her father's final message before his disappearance to be a call for prayer. "He told me to pray for another pastor who had gone missing," she said. Hours later, her mother called to say she could no longer reach him. Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing's Zion Church, was among at least 30 Christians arrested last weekend across 10 Chinese cities in what activists call the country's largest roundup of believers…
China Arrests 30 Christians As Concerns Mount Over Religious Crackdown
When Grace Jin Drexel got a text from her father in China last Friday, it seemed routine — a simple request to “pray for another pastor.” But hours later, that message took on chilling significance. Her father, Jin Mingri, one of China’s most prominent underground pastors, had vanished too.What followed was the largest mass arrest of Christians China has seen in decades. It was a sweeping crackdown on at least 30 members of the Zion Church netwo…
Chinese authorities have launched the largest round of arrests of Christians in decades, arresting at least 30 members of the Zion Church network. Among them is its founder, prominent pastor Jin Mingri, who is being held in the city of Beihai.
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