(Zhejiang – August 8, 2025) On Sunday, August 3, 2025, the Zion Church’s meeting site in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, China, was raided by local police and relevant departments. More than 80 law enforcement officers suddenly stormed in during the gathering, forcibly taking away 21 adult Christians and six children. 

Mass Interrogation and Overnight Detention

According to a public prayer letter released by Zion Church, the church members and children were taken to the Economic and Technological Development Zone (International Business District) of Jiaxing City Public Security Bureau for questioning. Some members were held until late at night, with nine even being detained overnight. 

Zhan Ge’s Detention and Mistreatment

One young female Christian, named Zhan Ge, was given 12 days of administrative detention and fined 500 RMB on the charge of “engaging in activities in the name of a banned social organization.” The church stated that police, fully aware that she suffers from depression, still had five male officers subject her to rough interrogation. The police accused her of continuing  activities under the name of Beijing Zion Church despite being aware that the Beijing Zion Church had been banned. 

Home Search and Legal Appeal Denied

In a situation where there was no concrete evidence, police from the Economic Development Zone Branch (Changshui Branch) of the Jiaxing City Public Security Bureau forcibly escorted Zhan Ge home to search her residence, seizing personal belongings, including religious books, as so-called “evidence.” Zhan Ge denied the charges and filed for administrative reconsideration and a suspension of execution according to the law, but these were rejected. Despite not posing any danger, she was still handcuffed. Her family has hired a lawyer for her defense. 

Ongoing Detentions and Church Response

Currently, one brother has been detained for three days, and another brother who was summoned has yet to be released after 24 hours. 

Zion Church strongly condemned the incident, calling the police’s actions a blatant trampling of citizens’ religious and personal freedoms. The church pointed out that Christians are facing large-scale suppression and criminalization simply for gathering to share their faith, and it is an infringement on fundamental human rights. 

Message from Pastor Jin Mingri and the Pastoral Team

Pastor Jin Mingri of Zion Church and the pastoral team stated: “The Lord reminds us that a student is not above the teacher; if He suffered, we also suffer with Him. The church has faced the same slander, attacks, and oppression for 2,000 years, and the outcome will also be the same: God’s children will surely receive the peace, joy, and victory promised by the Lord.” 

Pastor Jin Mingri and the pastoral team called for public attention to this case and prayer for the persecuted Christians. They condemned the actions as “a willful trampling of religious freedom and personal rights, and a barbaric law enforcement that hinders China’s path forward,” praying that God will watch over the land of China so that people of faith may enjoy the religious freedom guaranteed both by the law of the Kingdom of Heaven and the rights granted under the Constitution. 

Context: History of Persecution Against Zion Church

Since the 2018 revision of the Regulations on Religious Affairs, Beijing Zion Church has been under continuous persecution. In September 2018, it was shut down by the local Religious Affairs Bureau, with authorities deploying more than 60 armed police, dozens of police cars, fire trucks, and buses to raid the church’s central location in Long Bao Chen Building on Beijing’s North Fourth Ring Road, just after a service ended. Since then, Pastor Jin Mingri has been placed under an exit ban, and Zion Church branches nationwide have faced ongoing suppression. 

(Reported by Special Correspondent Ningmeng for ChinaAid)