(Hefei, China — February 17, 2026) On February 13, 2026, the People’s Court of Shushan District, Hefei, Anhui Province, handed down a verdict in the “Ganquan Church case.” Pastor Zhou Songlin (周松林) of the Ganquan house church was sentenced to four years and six months of imprisonment (term ending May 31, 2028) and fined RMB 30,000; Elder Ding Zhongfu (丁中福) was sentenced to four years of imprisonment (term ending November 30, 2027) and fined RMB 28,000. The court also ordered the recovery of more than RMB 366,000 in so-called “illegal gains” and sealed and seized related real estate and bank accounts.
The case began on November 30, 2023, when authorities conducted coordinated home searches and summonses of 16 pastors and co-workers of Ganquan Church (13 of whom were church staff), with five people placed under criminal detention. Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu were subsequently arrested on suspicion of “fraud” and held in extended pretrial detention for more than two years. Prosecutors alleged that the two, “with the purpose of illegal possession and under the guise of religion,” defrauded church members of more than RMB 3.39 million. They were mainly referring to members’ voluntary “tithings” received by the church and related funds used to purchase property that served as a meeting venue.
The case went through multiple pretrial conferences and court hearings (including a public trial from July 16–24, 2025), with repeated delays before the final verdict was issued. During the trial, multiple church members testified as witnesses, clearly stating that their offerings were voluntary acts based on faith and not the result of deception. The defense emphasized that the case lacked the constitutive elements of fraud, such as intent to deceive and victims disposing of property based on a mistaken understanding. However, the court upheld the conviction. Legal observers and international human rights organizations view this as a typical method by authorities to criminalize normal religious offerings and suppress unregistered house churches. In the past, charges such as “illegal business operations” or administrative bans were more common; now, “fraud” has become a new tool, enabling direct property deprivation and smearing church leaders’ reputations.
Other Representative “Fraud” Cases in Recent Years
In recent years, house church leaders in multiple regions of China have received heavy sentences on similar charges, with offering practices systematically defined as “fraud.” The following are some landmark cases (based on public reporting and collections by ChinaAid):
Golden Lampstand Church Case in Linfen, Shanxi (verdict in 2025): Founder Pastor Wang Xiaoguang (王晓光) was sentenced to nine years and seven months; Yang Rongli (杨荣丽), Pastor Wang’s wife, received 15 years; Li Shuangping (李双平) and ten other co-workers received sentences ranging from two to nine years. The court ruled that offerings made by church members constituted “fraud,” despite the absence of clearly identified victims who filed complaints. The church had long refused to join the official “Three-Self” system. This case is regarded as one of the harshest in sentencing.
Pastor Hao Zhiwei Case in Ezhou, Hubei: Pastor Hao Zhiwei (郝志娓), for refusing to join the “Three-Self” system, was accused of all offerings received during his 18 years of ministry constituted “fraud,” resulting in a severe sentence. This is the first publicly reported case to comprehensively categorize long-term offerings as fraud.
Church of Abundance Case in Xi’an, Shaanxi (since 2022): Pastors Lian Changnian (廉长年) and Lian Xuliang (廉旭亮), along with Preacher Fu Juan (付娟), were detained for years on “fraud” charges. After a pretrial conference in 2025, they were released on bail, but were reportedly re-arrested in November 2025. The core accusation was centered on church offerings. Congregants were reportedly pressured to provide false testimony; a female Christian who planned to testify in court to clarify that she had not been deceived was placed under administrative detention and dismissed from her job.
Living Stone Reformed Church Case in Bengbu, Anhui (2025): Wan Changchun (万长春) and three others were charged with “fraud” for receiving offerings. Church members denied in court that they had been deceived, but prosecutors insisted on constructing “victims,” prolonging the trial.
Qingcaodi (Green Pastures) Reformed Church Case in Deyang, Sichuan: Elder Hao Ming (郝鸣) and Elder Wu Jiannan (武见男) were accused of “concealing funds” and committing fraud due to internal church subsidies. Hao Ming received a three-year sentence with a five-year suspended sentence. During the proceedings, investigators reportedly pressured congregants to accuse pastors of “fraud,” drawing public concern.
Ren’ai Reformed Church Case in Guiyang, Guizhou: Arrests occurred in March 2021, with the verdict issued in July 2024. The case involved Elder Zhang Chunlei (张春雷). Although multiple church members testified in court that offerings were entirely voluntary and involved no deception, the court adopted the prosecution’s view, holding that his religious status without official authorization constituted the basis for fraud. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, a combined punishment for “fraud” and “inciting subversion of state power,” and a fine.
These cases show that “fraud” charges are being used with increasing frequency to cut off the financial lifelines of house churches and to criminalize faith practices. International religious freedom organizations criticize this trend as “weaponization of the law,” arguing that it distorts voluntary offerings into crimes and substantially infringes upon religious freedom.
Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid
