On December 9th, 2018, nearly 100 members of Early Rain Covenant Church were arrested. Over two weeks, 160 Christians were apprehended. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) arrested and sentenced Early Rain’s pastor, Wang Yi, to nine years in prison. Since then, police and the Religious Affairs Bureau continued their crusade against this house church.

Background

Early Rain Covenant Church started in 2006 with just a few small groups meeting together. Now, over 500 Christians meet together every week, doing their best to meet in person at various venues. 

Pastor Wang Yi

Starting in 2011, Wang Yi led as pastor of Early Rain. Before pastoring, he was a constitutional law scholar and human rights attorney. His close proximity to religious freedom cases with house churches exposed him to the gospel. He converted in 2005 after hosting a bible study for a year.

Religious Affairs Regulations

The Communist Party implemented new regulations in 2018 which endangered unregistered house churches. To summarize, if an unregistered church is not sponsored by one of the five state-sanctioned religions, then its activities will be considered illegal. Early Rain refused to join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the state-run protestant group.

Declaration of Faith

Pastor Wang Yi wrote a statement against these new regulations, called “A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith.” Over 400 house church pastors and leaders co-signed the open letter. Wang Yi also wrote extensively on religious freedom in China, constantly vocal about the Chinese government.

Persecution

Ever since the infamous “129 Crackdown” in 2018, Early Rain has been mercilessly targeted by the authorities. Church leadership is monitored for long stretches of time. Officers beat them, and plainclothes police regularly raid their gatherings. However, they remain steadfast in their faith.