Nine Zion Church leaders were granted bail pending trial and released on 18 June after more than eight months in detention – they are pictured with their families after being released. Nine leaders detained alongside them remain in detention in Beihai and face more serious criminal charges than the original accusations suggested.
The nine freed Christians include two men (Pastor Sun Cong and Liu Jiang) and seven women (Li Shengjuan, Wei Yunfei, An Mei, Zhange Ge, Hu Yanzi, Mei Liming and Zhu Mingli). They were released after the maximum seven-month investigative detention period permitted for major criminal cases, following multiple extensions of the investigation. Family members and church workers rushed to Beihai, a coastal city in southern China’s Guangxi region, to greet them with flowers and witnesses said they appeared to be in good physical and mental condition.
The seven men and two women who remain in detention (eight of whom are pictured) include founding pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, second from left on top row.
China Aid stated that it “remains deeply concerned that the remaining nine church leaders have already been transferred, or are in the process of being transferred, to the procuratorate for prosecution”.
They were originally accused of “illegally using information networks for criminal purposes” but authorities have reportedly replaced this accusation with more serious charges of “illegal business operations” and “fraud”. Lawyers reportedly have not yet been granted full access to prosecution files and the final charges remain subject to confirmation.
China Aid explains, “Observers say Chinese authorities have increasingly relied on economic crime allegations against independent house churches that refuse to join the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Church. Activities such as collecting offerings, publishing religious materials, or operating theological training programs have been cited in similar prosecutions.”
“We rejoice… Yet true justice has not been achieved”
Following the release of the nine members, Rev Dr Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, stated: “We rejoice with the nine Zion Church believers who have finally been reunited with their families after more than eight months of unjust detention. Their release is a welcome development and an answer to the prayers of countless Christians around the world.
“Yet true justice has not been achieved. Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Yingjia, Pastor Yin Huibin, Pastor Liu Zhenbin, Pastor Lin Shucheng, Pastor Wang Lin, Pastor Wang Cong, Elder Wang Zhong, and Sister Wu Qiuyu continue to face prosecution merely for peacefully exercising their faith and carrying out Christian ministry.
“A Bible college is not an illegal business, and voluntary church offerings are not fraud. We call on the Beihai Yinhai District People’s Procuratorate to respect the facts and the law, immediately withdraw all unfounded charges against these church leaders, issue a decision not to prosecute, and release all remaining detainees without delay.
“The international community must continue to stand with Zion Church and all persecuted Christians in China. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, and no one should be imprisoned for worshiping God, teaching the Bible, or serving the church.”
Background
Beijing Zion Church was founded in 2007 by Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri (pictured) and grew into one of China’s largest and most influential house-church networks, with five thousand members meeting in over forty cities and an estimated ten thousand attending online. The church refused to register and Chinese authorities closed down its Beijing worship facility in 2018 after it refused government demands to install surveillance equipment. Members continued to meet in smaller gatherings and online.
On 9 October 2025 the authorities launched a series of coordinated raids on churches across the network and detained eighteen pastors and church workers, transferring them to detention centres in Beihai. On 18 November they were charged with “illegally using information networks” (for which they could face up to three years in prison) and were placed under official arrest.
(China Aid, Zion Church)
Photos: Zion Church via China Aid