Beijing Detains Prominent Underground Church Leader in China

Rights groups say Chinese Christians have faced escalating repression in recent years.

A worshipper holds a copy of the Bible while attending a church service ahead of Christmas in Hong Kong on Dec. 23, 2018, during which several members of the congregation wore black in support of underground churches in mainland China. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

At least five members and the leader of a prominent Christian church in China have been arrested by local authorities, according to rights advocacy groups, as the communist regime tightens its grip on religious practices that operate outside state control.

The six individuals, all with the Early Rain Covenant Church, a large unregistered house church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, were detained on Jan. 6, according to a notice from ChinaAid, a Texas-based nonprofit advocating religious freedom in China.

Church leader Li Yingqiang was taken by police from his home in Deyang, about an hour’s drive from Chengdu, according to ChinaAid and New York City-based Human Rights Watch.

The incident was the latest in a wave of large-scale raids and arrests targeting religious groups that are not officially sanctioned by Beijing. Although Catholicism and Protestantism are among the five faiths formally recognized by the regime, believers are still subject to stringent control and surveillance under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

To carry out religious activities legally, churches must register with national religious organizations, known as patriotic religious associations, which are under the direct control of the CCP’s United Front Work Department.

Those who wish to freely worship often find themselves with no choice but to join underground churches, leading to the growth of churches such as Early Rain. Founded in 2006 with just a few small groups, Early Rain later grew to more than 500 Christians meeting each week, according to ChinaAid.

In December 2018, police arrested more than 100 members of Early Rain, which drew international condemnation. Wang Yi, the founding pastor of Early Rain, was later sentenced to 10 years in prison on subversion charges. Wang remains incarcerated.

Rights groups say Chinese Christians have faced escalating repression in recent years. The latest campaign against Early Rain came just a day after authorities in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, deployed hundreds of armed police and special forces, along with cranes and bulldozers, to target a local Christian Church, ChinaAid said in a Jan. 5 notice.

In October 2025, the authorities arrested 30 leaders and members of Zion Church, one of China’s largest underground churches, in a sweeping operation that spanned five cities. As of the end of December, at least 18 members of Zion Church remained in custody for their faith. These include the church’s founder, Ezra Jin Mingri, who was accused of “illegally using information networks,” a charge that could lead to a prison sentence of up to three years.

Head pastor of the Zion church in Beijing Jin Mingri in the congregation hall of the unofficial Protestant "house" church in Beijing on Aug. 28, 2018. Thomas Peter/Reuters

“Christians in China today are facing the worst persecution since the end of the Cultural Revolution,” Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, previously told The Epoch Times.

“A nuclear-powered regime like China would start rounding up Christians and other peaceful, independent faith believers—I think that shows their fear of independent faith. They just want to launch a war against God.”

Although official data indicate that there is a Christian population of 44 million in China, estimates suggest the actual figure could be as high as 130 million. The U.S. government estimates that about 70 million people practice Christianity in China.

Rights groups have called on foreign governments to take action.

“Xi Jinping’s government has tightened ideological control and intensified its intolerance of loyalties beyond the Chinese Communist Party,” Yalkun Uluyol of Human Rights Watch said in a Jan. 6 statement.

“Concerned governments and religious leaders around the world should press the Chinese government to free detained religious adherents and respect religious freedom in China.”

Eva Fu contributed to this report.