China Arrests 30 Christians in Largest Crackdown in Decades, Sparking Fears of Broader Persecution
Chinese authorities have arrested at least 30 Christians, including prominent pastor Jin Mingri, in a coordinated sweep across 10 cities last weekend, in what activists describe as the largest targeting of believers since the 2018 religious regulations—raising alarms of an escalating crackdown on underground churches.
The raids, conducted in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities, targeted members of the Zion Church network, founded by Jin in 2007 as an independent “house church” rejecting state oversight. Jin, 56, was detained in Beihai, Guangxi province, on suspicion of “illegal use of information networks,” per a public security bureau notice. Other arrests included pastors Sun Cong and Gao Quanfu, with some members released but most remaining in custody, including at Beihai’s Number Two prison.
Grace Jin Drexel, Jin’s daughter in the U.S., received a final text from her father on October 10, 2025, asking for prayers for a missing colleague before his own detention. “It was a pivotal moment… When that was betrayed, it shattered his entire worldview,” she told the BBC, recalling Jin’s shift from state loyalty after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, where he studied at Beijing University.
China’s Christian population—officially 38 million Protestants and 6 million Catholics—largely aligns with the state-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association and Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement, emphasizing Communist Party loyalty. However, tens of millions attend unregistered “house churches” like Zion, which expanded to 100 branches and 10,000 followers via hybrid online-offline services after 2018 closures. Zion’s #1000churchsin100cities movement and refusal of CCTV surveillance drew scrutiny.
The arrests follow tightened controls: 2018 regulations requiring government approval for worship; 2016 “sinicization” under Xi Jinping; and a September 2025 online code limiting sermons to licensed groups. Recent cases include Shanxi’s Linfen Golden Lampstand Church members sentenced for fraud in June 2025 and Xi’an pastor Gao’s May detention. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the raids on October 14, accusing China of “emerging religious persecution,” prompting a foreign ministry retort opposing “US interference.”
Zion spokesperson Sean Long, based in the U.S., called it a “systematic roundup to unroot Zion,” invoking the idiom “killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.” Advocacy groups like Open Doors and Luke Alliance warn of a “new wave of religious persecution,” with #FreeJinMingri trending on X, amassing over 50,000 posts. Chinese embassy in London reiterated that citizens enjoy “freedom of religious belief in accordance with law,” while denying internal interference claims.
The raids underscore Beijing’s tightening grip on unregistered faith groups amid economic slowdowns, with experts fearing broader targeting of house churches. As Zion’s hybrid model persists, Long affirms resilience: “Persecution cannot destroy the church.”
