WASHINGTON — July 6, 2026 — Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing-based Zion Church, one of China’s largest and most influential unregistered Protestant congregations, has been released after nine months in detention following high-level diplomatic engagement between the United States and China.
Jin arrived safely in Los Angeles in the early hours of July 4 and was reunited with his family after eight years of separation, according to a public statement by his wife, Anna Liu.
According to informed sources verified by ChinaAid, the case was resolved as part of a humanitarian arrangement reached after a May summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, during which Trump raised Jin’s detention. Chinese officials reportedly described the release as a humanitarian gesture expected to positively influence bilateral relations.
Chinese officials removed the 57-year-old pastor from the detention center on July 3, as confirmed in reporting by Christianity Today. Initially believing he was being transferred to another facility, Jin was only informed upon arriving at the airport that he would be traveling to the United States, where officials provided him with a new passport.
The timing of his departure, just ahead of the United States’ 250th Independence Day celebration, was viewed by those familiar with the negotiations as a significant diplomatic gesture by Beijing.
Jin’s wife, Anna Liu, said she received confirmation from U.S. officials on the morning of July 3.
“Only when I learned that Pastor Jin was already on the plane to Los Angeles did my heart finally settle,” she wrote. “Before that, I hardly dared believe such a miracle could actually become reality.”
Family members said Jin had lost approximately 33 pounds (15 kilograms) during his detention, his hair had turned mostly gray, and he appeared noticeably thinner. Despite the physical toll, they said he remained in good spirits.
Leader of Beijing’s largest house church
A graduate of Peking University, Jin later earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in California. He founded Beijing Zion Church in 2007, building it into a congregation of more than 1,500 members that was widely regarded as Beijing’s largest house church.
House churches operate independently of China’s state-controlled Protestant system. As previously reported by ChinaAid News, authorities disbanded Zion Church in 2018 after it refused government demands to install surveillance cameras inside its sanctuary and submit to tighter state oversight. The congregation subsequently continued meeting underground and online.
In October 2025, Chinese authorities launched a sweeping crackdown known internally as the “10.9 Church Case,” arresting Jin and several other church leaders. The case quickly became one of the highest-profile prosecutions of a Protestant house church in recent years.
In her July 5 letter, Anna said her husband never compromised in responding to the charges against him.
“Throughout the trial, he openly acknowledged everything he had done—preaching the gospel online, establishing churches, and making disciples,” she wrote. “He consistently maintained that these are not crimes, but his faith and his calling.”
U.S. advocacy campaign
Jin’s release followed months of persistent advocacy by his family members and religious freedom advocates, along with pressure from allied political leaders.
Grace Jin Drexel, daughter of Jin, helped lead the campaign while pregnant with her first child, testifying before Congress, participating in media interviews and online programs, and meeting with lawmakers to seek support for her father’s release.
As reported by the BBC, Trump personally raised Jin’s case during his meeting with Xi during his visit to China earlier this year. After returning to the United States, Trump told reporters that Xi was giving the matter serious consideration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and 44 members of both houses of Congress also appealed for Jin’s release.
In her letter, Anna expressed gratitude to Trump, Rubio, members of Congress, the defense legal team that continued working despite significant risks, and Xi for personally addressing the matter.
“Pastor Ezra Jin’s release is a powerful reminder that international pressure and persistent prayer can make a difference,” stated ChinaAid founder Bob Fu.
Eight church leaders still detained
Although Jin has safely arrived in the United States, the broader Zion Church case remains unresolved.
Anna urged supporters to continue advocating for the eight Zion Church leaders who remain imprisoned in China: Pastors Yin Huibin, Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng and Wang Cong, along with Preacher Wu Qiuyu and Elder Wang Zhong.
The eight defendants face charges of fraud and illegal business operations, allegations centered primarily on church offerings and tuition collected for seminary training. One pastor, Wang Lin, who was originally charged only with illegal business operations, was additionally charged with fraud in June.
Supporters of Jin’s release said they hope the outcome, brought about by President Xi’s direct involvement, signals improved church-state relations in China.
Anna also called on the international community to continue advocating for other imprisoned Chinese Christian leaders, including Pastor Wang Yi and Elder Li Yingqiang of Early Rain Covenant Church, as well as Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife, Pang Yu.
She encouraged Christians worldwide to participate in the monthly “Day of Prayer and Fasting for the Persecuted Church in China,” observed on the ninth day of each month.
Anna also asked the public to give Jin and their family time to recover physically and emotionally.
“It won’t be long before everyone sees Pastor Jin again,” she wrote, “the one who always wears a warm smile and is always willing to put others before himself.”
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. 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.