China Intensifies Crackdown on Unofficial Christian Churches, Detaining Leaders and Members
In December 2025, Chinese authorities intensified their crackdown on unofficial Christian groups, detaining senior church leaders and members across multiple provinces. Gao Yingjia, senior pastor of the prominent Zion Church in Guangxi, was detained and held in a local detention centre following a 2am raid by plain-clothed police. His wife, Geng Pengpeng, and their son fled abroad amid fears for their safety. The family is now facing difficult decisions regarding whether Geng should return to China, remain in Thailand, or relocate elsewhere.
This action was part of China's largest repression of underground Christian groups since 2018. More than a dozen other church leaders were arrested, with nearly 30 pastors and church members detained in October alone; 18 have faced formal arrest and possible long prison terms. In Wenzhou, over 100 people linked to local Christian organizations were detained during raids related to disputes about displaying the Chinese national flag inside a church.
Founded in 2007, Zion Church operated openly prior to earlier government crackdowns commencing in 2018. Since then, it adopted a hybrid model combining online sermons and small, discrete in-person gatherings while employing creative methods to evade detection. Jin Mingri, founder of Zion Church, was also detained amid these ongoing efforts. Analyst Ian Johnson described the crackdown as the "final nail in the coffin" for the group, which counts thousands of members and online followers. Over summer 2025, authorities questioned more than 100 Zion members and forcibly closed church branches.
The intensified suppression followed new governmental rules from September 2025 banning unlicensed religious groups from providing online sermons. This was coupled with a political push under President Xi Jinping, who chaired a meeting focused on the Sinicization of religions to align religious practices with Chinese state ideologies.
Earlier in 2025, other Christian groups also came under scrutiny: Gao Quanfu and his wife of the Light of Zion church were arrested in May, and members of the Golden Lampstand Church were sentenced on fraud charges. The crackdown persisted throughout the summer months.
Internationally, the crackdown drew criticism. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of church leaders, urging China to allow religious activities free of retribution. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security did not respond to requests for comment.
Official statistics state that approximately 3% of China’s population identifies as Christian. However, a 2018 survey suggested that up to 7% believe in some form of Christian deity, hinting at underreporting due to risks associated with religious affiliation in China. The ongoing repression highlights the personal and communal toll on religious minorities navigating an environment of increasing state control and surveillance.
