Orchestrated Persecution in China
This has been a heartbreaking weekend as another major Chinese house church has undergone significant persecution. Jin Mingri and the pastoral staff of BJ Zion have been arrested in orchestrated events, actions likely intended to signal as much to China’s house churches as the arrests of Wang Yi and ERCC’s leadership did.
Late on October 10, 2025, Chinese authorities detained Pastor Ezra Jin, launching the largest coordinated, nationwide crackdown against an urban house church in 40 years. Around the same time, nearly 30 other Zion Church pastors and workers were detained or went missing across Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beihai, Jiaxing, and Huangdao. Pastor Jin founded Zion Church, previously Beijing’s largest church and now among China's largest urban evangelical church networks, in 2007. Jin has been under an exit ban and constant surveillance in China since 2018, unable to reunite with his children—American citizens—despite regular petitions to leave.
Please consider the following:
- Learn about what is taking place. In addition to reading Zion’s updates and prayer letters, take time to read the articles coming out about the events. This is the best place to stay on top of news articles and updates, including a statement from Jin Mingri’s wife: https://www.lukealliance.org/mingri-jin-zion-church
- Pray. Do not give in to the American misconception that prayer isn’t action. Your Chinese brothers and sisters are asking you to pray. Do so individually and do so as a church.
- Finally, if you have anyone in your church, seminary, or college ministry from a mainland Chinese house church background, they may be in need of love, care, and encouragement as they process the events taking place. These events are intended to keep the church isolated and fearful. Resist by being in close fellowship with your Chinese house church brothers and sisters this week. Please let them know that you see them and care for them, and please take time to pray with and for them.
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Note: China officially has 38 million Protestants and six million Catholics, but tens of millions more Chinese are believed to attend underground churches.
Originally posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hannah.snoke