What is happening?
Between October 10 and 11, Chinese police arrested Christian pastors and church members in one of the largest crackdowns on Christians since 2018. The main target is the Zion Protestant Church (錫安教會), an underground (or “house”) church founded by Pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin (金明日). Jin was detained at his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province, and is now held at Beihai City No. 2 Detention Center under suspicion of “illegal use of information networks.”
The Zion Church is widely considered one of China’s largest underground Christian congregations. Its predominantly online operations have made it more visible and vulnerable under recent legislation tightening control over religious practice and online speech. The detentions drew condemnation from U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
What is the broader picture?
The People’s Republic of China’s Constitution nominally protects freedom of religious belief but restricts it to “normal religious activities,” without defining what “normal” means. In practice, all recognized faiths—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism—must align with CCP ideology under policies of “Sinicization.” Unregistered groups, such as independent “house churches,” are considered illegal. Registered Protestant congregations fall under the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (三自愛國運動), while Catholic churches report to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (中國天主教愛國會), both overseen by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department.
Despite the government’s control, the number of Christians in China is not insignificant. Official data count around 38 million Protestants and 6 million Catholics in China. However, unofficial estimates, which include members of unregistered congregations, suggest the real numbers may be much higher.
The Zion Church was established in 2007 in Beijing by Mingri “Ezra” Jin, a pastor formerly associated with a state-registered church. Initially small, it grew into one of China’s most prominent urban house churches, holding services in an office building and later expanding to dozens of cities across China. In 2018, Beijing authorities shut down its main venue after the church refused to install CCTV cameras. Jin was placed under surveillance and issued a travel ban. Despite harassment and official pressure, the church continued to operate discreetly and later moved most of its activity online. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zion Church’s online services attracted thousands of new followers. By 2025, the network reportedly included around 5,000 regular worshippers across 40–50 cities.
Earlier this year, China enacted new Regulations on Religious Affairs Online (互聯網宗教信息服務管理辦法), further restricting digital worship. The rules require all online religious content to be approved by authorities and led only by government-registered clergy. Foreign nationals are explicitly banned from engaging in unapproved religious activities.
Pastor Jin’s charge of “illegal use of information networks” reflects these changes, as the phrase is increasingly used to criminalize online religious organizations and the dissemination of sermons outside state control. Convictions under this offense can carry sentences of up to seven years of imprisonment.
Why does it matter?
The renewed suppression of the Zion Church illustrates the CCP’s tightening grip on independent civil society. While religion remains officially recognized, any group operating outside Party supervision is perceived as a potential challenge to state authority.
A Zion Church spokesperson noted that “the church was well known and organized, and it may have reached a level of visibility that made authorities nervous about independent social entities they do not control.”
This episode fits into a broader pattern under Xi Jinping’s leadership, which seeks to consolidate ideological control over religion, media, and cyberspace. The case has already drawn international attention, raising concerns about religious freedom, digital censorship, and human rights in China.