From Openness to Opposition
Earlier this month brought word that dozens of pastors and leaders of Zion Church, one of China’s so-called megachurches with locations in Beijing and around the country, had been arrested. Founded in 2007 by Pastor Jin Mingri in an era of openness and relaxation, Zion was an early adopter of the “open church” movement among unregistered house churches. Unlike traditional rural house churches that sought to remain “underground,” many urban churches chose a public posture, renting space for worship, setting up websites, and engaging in various public activities. Taking advantage of a more relaxed and tolerant environment, they did not want to remain hidden from society or the government.
Why Now?
For a decade, as the church grew in size and influence, the government appeared to tolerate its existence and work. That tolerance began to wane in 2018, when the church was “banned,” forcing it to stop its large-group gatherings and shift to smaller fellowship groups. In 2020, in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions which prohibited all public gatherings, the church went online.
No longer tied to a geographic location, they leveraged the power of the internet to plant churches all over China.
And yet, the tolerance continued…until this month, which has prompted many observers to ask the question, “Why now?”
Because the Chinese party-state rarely explains itself, we are left with speculation on what has triggered this crackdown at this time. As is the case with many events in China, we need to take a look at other things going on in society that might help offer clues.
One possible driver is the recent strengthening of regulations that govern religious content on the internet. In recent years the government has been concerned about “unhealthy” and unregulated content online. While these regulations covered a wide range of activity— content for minors, less vulgarity, more positivity—they also included restrictions on the use of the internet to disseminate religious beliefs and conduct religious activities. In 2022 they introduced “Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services.” Among other things, these limited religious content to registered religious groups and licensed religious online platforms. An English translation can be found here. These regulations were further tightened in September 2025 to specifically regulate what religious clergy are and are not allowed to do online. China Law Translate has an English translation of this regulation.
The World Takes Notice
The story of this crackdown on Zion Church has been, and continues to be, surprisingly well-covered in the international media. In case you missed them, here are a couple of helpful articles:
China Detains Influential House Church Pastor – Christianity Today
Zion Church: China’s arrest of 30 Christians sparks fears of a bigger crackdown – BBC
For the regular updates directly from church members, please see their posts on X (@CnZion).
Hope Amid Hardship
Finally, let’s continue to pray for the leaders and members of Zion Church.
For those who have been detained, we pray that they will be kept safe and will be released quickly.
For the families and church members who have been “left behind,” we pray that God will lead and guide them as they press into the heart of God.
We pray that they will not be afraid and be reminded that they have been given everything needed to live for Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
