(Beijing — August 26, 2025) The Civil Affairs Bureau of Chaoyang District, Beijing, has shut down a local Mormon branch, stating that it was operating without registration and was illegally conducting activities under the guise of a social organization.
On June 22, 2025, the bureau issued a public notice declaring that the group, known as the “Mormon Beijing Branch,” had been operating without registration, in violation of China’s Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Social Organizations. As a result, the bureau decided to ban the organization.
This ban comes amid the Chinese government’s recent crackdown on foreign religious groups.
Prior to this ban, civil affairs departments in other cities across China, including Nanjing, Lianyungang, Jilin, Nanchang, and Jiamusi, had also issued notices legally banning local Mormon branches.
According to Chinese state media, in March 2025, the National Religious Affairs Administration issued an order imposing tighter restrictions on many religious groups.
The order requires that foreign religious organizations must have “no hostile actions against China and no negative record.”
It also pointed out that groups must provide local government officials with detailed information about their religious activities, such as “schedules, ways that activities will be carried out, frequency of activities, number of participants, and safety measures.”
The formal name of Mormonism is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded in the United States in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr., who claimed to have been guided by an angel to unearth and translate an ancient sacred text known as The Book of Mormon.
Since China’s reform and opening up in the 1980s, Mormonism has sought to build ties with the Chinese government. Unlike its traditional missionary methods, the church has adopted a “non-proselytizing” strategy in China, focusing mainly on political and legal negotiations with government officials.
Mormonism is not one of the five state-recognized religions in China (Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism). Its development model in mainland China stands in stark contrast to its active proselytizing strategy worldwide. Instead, it has chosen a cautious and low-profile path, operating within limited frameworks rather than engaging in open evangelism.
Reported by Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
