(Beijing — June 4, 2025) The Chinese government’s persecution of Christianity appears to be escalating. Following intensified crackdowns in provinces such as Sichuan and Zhejiang, branches of Beijing Zion Church in multiple cities have been raided and harassed over the past week, with a large number of church members being summoned for questioning. These actions have sparked deep concern from the international community over the state of religious freedom in China.
Zion Church faces grave challenges
- Persons detained: Currently, one pastor, one elder, and one deacon have each been administratively detained for 5 to 15 days.
- Church sites shut down: Last week, three locations of Zion Church in Chongqing were shut down. Co-workers in multiple other cities were also successively questioned by police.
- Multiple locations affected: Church sites in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Guiyang, and other locations were also subjected to police inquiries.
On June 1, the Sunday worship service at Meimen Church in Guiyang was disrupted, and everyone present was taken to the police station. Elder Yao Yong and Brother Mao Yue were each given 15 days of administrative detention.
On May 30, Pastor Gao Le of the church’s location in Hefei, Anhui Province was also administratively detained by local police for five days as a penalty. The homes of the congregation of this location were raided, and books were confiscated. Pastor Gao Le was out of town when the church was raided; upon learning that fellow brothers and sisters in Christ had been taken away, he insisted on returning to Hefei to comfort the flock. As soon as he arrived home, he was taken away and criminally detained for five days without any stated reason.
Information on Beijing Zion Church
Beijing Zion Church is a widely known house church in China. Founded over thirty years ago, it once had a congregation of up to 1,500 people.
On September 9, 2018, Beijing Zion Church was raided in a joint operation by multiple government departments. The church was sealed off, and its meeting venue was forcibly closed.
Beijing Jianweitang Cultural Company, which is affiliated with Zion Church, was asked to pay a fine of 1.2 million RMB (~$165,105 U.S. dollars). On that same day, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Chaoyang District in Beijing declared the church banned. Following the ban, church workers dispersed to plant churches in other regions.
In recent years, the church has continued to face persecution, with many preachers arrested or administratively detained. The church’s senior pastor, Jin Mingri, has been under an exit ban for a long time and is unable to reunite with his family in the United States.
Ongoing concern
The wave of crackdowns on branches of the Zion Church across multiple regions clearly indicates a coordinated campaign at a higher administrative level. Once again, it highlights the grave challenges facing house churches in China. ChinaAid and the international community will continue to closely monitor developments and call on the Chinese government to respect and protect citizens’ freedom of religious belief.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Ningmeng of ChinaAid)