China detains Zion Church’s Pastor Jin in sweeping religious crackdown

The pastor of one of China’s largest underground evangelical churches was arrested at a gathering of Christian leaders on Friday, and his family and followers fear for his safety.

Grace Jin, daughter of Zion Church Pastor Ezra Jin, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that she was detained by Chinese authorities. Zion Church was once the largest church in Beijing. A document provided to Fox News Digital by Grace states that Jin’s arrest comes amid the detention or disappearance of approximately 30 Zion Church pastors and workers in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beihai, Jiaxing and Huangdao. Associated Press Dozens of other church leaders were also arrested in Beijing and at least five other Chinese provinces on Friday, it said.

“They were taken away one by one, they were detained. Like, they were saying there were people on their doorstep, and then one by one they were taken into custody,” Grace told Fox News Digital.

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According to the AP, Zion Church is one of many underground churches operating in China; This means it is not registered with the authorities, making it illegal.

“The charges were something like the spread of religious materials on the Internet, but they didn’t physically give anyone any paperwork, but showed the detention slip, and that’s what most people say in detention.” [slips]” he said.

Grace told Fox News Digital that China has engaged in a sweeping crackdown on religious leaders in recent months. In May, Light of Zion Church Pastor Gao Quanfu of Xi’an was detained by authorities on charges of “using superstitious activities to undermine the administration of justice.” Also in June, several church workers from the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen were sentenced to prison on charges of “fraud”. Grace is concerned that authorities may also file fraud charges against her father because he says financial documents were obtained from Zion Church.

Jin has been under surveillance since 2018 and faces an exit ban, meaning he has not been able to reunite with his children, who are US citizens. He hadn’t seen them in over six years.

This photo provided by Zion Church pastor Sean Long shows police raiding the home of Zion Church pastor Sun Cong in Beijing, China, on Friday, October 10, 2025. (Sean Long via AP)

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Grace told Fox News Digital that the Chinese government closed Zion Church, which would host 1,500 people each week, in 2018 due to its influence.

“When it closed in 2018, there was no longer a physical location for Zion that could rent such a large space,” Grace said. “In fact, if you rent even a small area, they will immediately understand and come and destroy Zion.”

This put Zion Church in a difficult situation, but instead it turned to the now-familiar hybrid model of holding live praise and worship sessions online while also distributing information so people could pray together in smaller groups.

“When COVID hit in 2020, Zion Church was one of the only churches that had this online model,” Grace said. “Zion kind of blew up at this point… Christians all over China were attending Zion’s services because for a while it was the only church service that hosted events with music and sermons online every Sunday.”

He recalled offering his father’s resources and methods to others as other churches struggled to adapt to the virtual world. He said this helped his father connect not only with other churches but also with congregations.

This photo provided by Zion Church pastor Sean Long shows Zion Church pastor Sun Cong standing in handcuffs after being detained by police at his home in Beijing, China, on Friday, October 10, 2025. (Sean Long via AP)

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Jin’s family is calling on the US State Department to demand that the Chinese Communist Party “immediately and unconditionally release him and allow him to return to his family in the US before he is further persecuted by the Chinese government.”

The fate of Jin and the other church leaders arrested with him remains unclear, but Chinese AidHe said so-called “house churches” such as Zion, a US-based religious group, were “facing unprecedented pressure.”

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“Xi Jinping has waged a war against God’s Church, such as the Church of Zion, that he can never win. The level of persecution of religious freedom has reached its worst level. [level] Founder and chairman of China Aid, Dr. “In 40 years,” Bob Fu told Fox News Digital. “Belief is not a crime. Worship is not a crime. Praying is not a crime.”

“The courage of urban pastors and believers in China will be remembered in history as a living proof that the light of Jesus cannot be extinguished by tyranny,” Fu added. He also called on President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to publicly speak out and condemn the CCP’s oppression.