(Shaoyang, Hunan — October 11, 2025) A house church in Shaoyang, Hunan Province, has recently come under suppression. The local government accused the church of “masquerading under the name of religion” and interfered with the church and imposed administrative detentions. So far, five brothers and sisters have been detained, and the situation continues to unfold. Church members and their families are reportedly under immense pressure.
The Kingdom Prayer Network has issued a call to prayer for the church.
The legal clause of “masquerading under the name of religion” has increasingly been used as a tool to suppress unregistered churches, characterizing ordinary religious activities as illegal. While China’s Constitution nominally guarantees freedom of religion, its actual enforcement is fully subordinated to the Party-state’s ideology. As the central government’s policy orientation is increasingly hardline, and local governments selectively enforce the law, house churches have thus become a high-risk group.
ChinaAid Association
