China Conducts Largest Crackdown on Underground Christian House Churches Since 2018
Gao Yingjia, the senior pastor of the prominent underground Zion Church in Guangxi, was detained following a raid by plain-clothes police at 2am. His wife, Geng Pengpeng, and their six-year-old son fled abroad after the raid. Gao has been charged with the illegal use of information networks.
Zion Church, known for having thousands of members, has faced increased pressure amid a wider crackdown on underground Christian house churches. The arrest of Gao followed the detention of more than a dozen church leaders, including the church's founder, Jin Mingri (also known as Ezra Jin), who was detained in October alongside about 30 pastors and members. So far, 18 pastors have been formally arrested.
This crackdown is the largest against Christians in China since 2018. Last week, over 100 people were detained in a Wenzhou raid in Zhejiang during heightened enforcement actions. Part of the broader pressure involves a dispute over the installation of a Chinese national flag inside a local church.
U.S. officials and rights groups have condemned the crackdown. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the release of detained church leaders and urged China to allow Christians to worship without fear.
China prohibits religious activities outside officially sanctioned institutions, which has led Christians to gather in unofficial house churches to avoid state controls. After 2018, Zion Church shifted to online sermons combined with small in-person gatherings. Worshipers employed strategies like moving services onto a tour bus to evade detection.
In September, new rules were introduced banning unlicensed religious groups from delivering online sermons. President Xi Jinping emphasized the Sinicization of religions at a senior party meeting, intensifying control over religious expression.
Official estimates place Christians at about 3% of China's population, though a 2018 survey suggested 7% believed in some Christian deity. Zion Church's core membership has grown significantly from approximately 1,500 to 5,000, with its online audience doubling during this period.
Grace Jin Drexel, daughter of Jin Mingri, and Gao Pu, son of Gao Yingjia, traveled to Washington, DC, to raise awareness about their fathers’ detentions and the ongoing persecution faced by underground Christians in China.
