(Sichuan Province, China – July 30, 2026) Chinese authorities continued their crackdown on unregistered Protestant churches Sunday, raiding multiple gatherings of the prominent Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu in southwestern China. The July 26 raids disrupted the church’s decentralized worship services but resulted in no reported arrests.
According to church members and informed sources, police raided the church’s Taisheng and Jinyu small-group gatherings in Sichuan Province, forcing the suspension of Sunday school activities while officers recorded the identities of those in attendance.
Church members said the incidents did not escalate into a major confrontation. One attendee referenced Elder Wu Wuqing’s prayer, saying believers should respond with gentleness when their faith is challenged.
Early Rain Covenant Church was once one of China’s best-known Protestant house churches before authorities launched a sweeping crackdown against the congregation in late 2018. Since then, the church has remained under close government surveillance while shifting from large congregational services to decentralized small-group meetings to continue its ministry.
Authorities have increasingly targeted those smaller gatherings in recent months. During a June 14 interregional church meeting in nearby Mianyang, police detained dozens of church members and briefly held several church leaders, including Elders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing, as part of a broader campaign to disrupt the church’s reorganized ministry.
The church’s founder, Pastor Wang Yi, was sentenced by a Chengdu court in December 2019 to nine years in prison on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” He remains imprisoned. Elder Qin Defu, who was prosecuted in the same case, received a four-year prison sentence.
Authorities have also intensified legal action against the church’s remaining leaders and ministry staff.
Preacher Dai Zhichao has been detained for more than six months. His wife, Lu Lingzhi, said his attorney was allowed to meet with him for the first time on July 22 after authorities transferred his case to the procuratorate for review and possible prosecution.
In addition to the original charge of “inciting subversion of state power,” prosecutors have added a charge of “organizing illegal gatherings.” Authorities also denied his attorney’s request for release on bail pending trial.
Elder Li Yingqiang met with his lawyer at the Deyang Detention Center in Sichuan Province on July 23, according to his wife, Zhang Xinyue. Police detained Li on Jan. 6, and authorities formally arrested him on Feb. 12 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.”
Despite years of arrests, prosecutions, and repeated police raids, Early Rain Covenant Church has continued meeting through decentralized home fellowships and online communication. Church members say they remain committed to maintaining their ministry despite sustained government pressure.
Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.