On Oct 10, 2025 police arrested Jin (Ezra) Mingri, a Chinese pastor who founded Zion Church, an urban house-church network based in Beijing with influence in more than 40 cities across China. Authorities charged Pastor Jin with “illegally using information networks” on the grounds that the church conducts online worship services. This charge carries a sentence of up to three years.
Nearly 30 church leaders were reportedly detained by police during the October sweep which was the biggest crackdown on Chinese Christians since 2018. Eight others still remain in detention along with Pastor Jin Mingri. “Their only offence is worshipping God peacefully, preaching the gospel faithfully, shepherding their flock, and serving their neighbors”‘, church leaders said.
Founded in 2007, Zion Church has grown rapidly, reaching an estimated 1,500 members in Beijing by 2018 when it was shut down by authorities. During the coronavirus pandemic, the church shifted to online meetings and outdoor small group gatherings, hosting up to 10,000 participants for its regular gatherings.
In 2019 Pastor Jin was placed under exit control preventing him from leaving and reuniting with his family including his three children who live outside China. Since early 2025 the church’s branches in multiple cities have come under investigation and members have been summoned for questioning.
According to Pastor Jins wife, Anna, a public security officer told the family that the task force handling the case does not allow Pastor Jin to receive any mailed items, including postcards or letters of encouragment.
His family said that authorities in the Behai Detention Centre where the Pastor is being held treat fasting and praying as a form of defiance, and that Christian prisoners who try to practice fasting can be forcibly tube-fed as a result. His family also said that Pastor Jin is severely diabetic, and they are concerned that he is not receiving his prescribed medications.
During a previous wave of arrests, Pastor Jin wrote an open letter to the church, encouraging them to pray for the persecuted. He wrote, “We will witness that people who tread the path of persecution will bear good changes”. And, “God will refine their hearts and build their characters. He will increase their love for Christ and hope for His kingdom.”
When a fellow pastor asked him just a month before the arrests what would happen in the event of mass arrests Pastor Jin Mingri replied “Hallelujah!” the gospel will spread further”
