China detains dozens of underground church pastors in widening crackdown
Chinese authorities have detained dozens of pastors from one of the country’s largest underground Christian churches, marking the biggest crackdown on unsanctioned religious activity since 2018, according to church representatives and family members.
Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, was arrested at his home in the southern city of Beihai on Friday evening, his daughter Grace Jin and church spokesperson Sean Long confirmed. Jin, 56, is being held at Beihai City No. 2 Detention Centre on charges of “illegal use of information networks,” which carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Long said authorities have questioned over 150 worshippers and detained nearly 30 pastors and members across multiple provinces, with about 20 still in custody.
“What just happened is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” Long said, noting that police have stepped up harassment of worshippers and disrupted Sunday services.
The detentions have drawn criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on Sunday urged Beijing to immediately release the pastors. The arrests come amid renewed U.S.-China tensions, following China’s decision last week to expand controls on rare earth exports.
Chinese police and the Ministry of Public Security did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The move follows new regulations issued last month banning unauthorized online preaching, religious training, and “foreign collusion.” President Xi Jinping recently pledged to tighten enforcement and advance the “Sinicisation of religion” — aligning faith practices with Communist Party ideology.
While China officially recognizes about 44 million Christians in state-sanctioned churches, experts estimate tens of millions more worship in unregistered “house churches.”
Founded in 2007, Zion Church has about 5,000 regular worshippers across nearly 50 cities. It grew rapidly during the pandemic through online sermons and small in-person gatherings.
Grace Jin said her father’s health remains a concern:
“He’s been hospitalized before for diabetes and requires regular medication. We’ve also been told lawyers cannot meet the pastors, which is very worrying,” she said.
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