China Detains Underground Church Leaders In Nationwide Crackdown
Police detained more than 30 worshippers and leaders, including two pastors, and later released most after hours of questioning, the church said.
- On Sunday, June 14, 2026, armed police in Jiangyou stormed an Early Rain Covenant Church service, detaining dozens of congregants and two senior church leaders during worship.
- The Chinese Communist Party rules 1.4 billion people and tightens its grip on unregistered 'house churches,' requiring religious institutions to register with the state to maintain ideological control.
- Witnesses reported a force of 60 to 70 personnel from multiple agencies, including Religious Affairs Bureau officials, interrupting the service. The church, founded in 2008, faced a major crackdown in 2018 when founding pastor Wang Yi was detained.
- While most congregants were released, church elders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing remain in custody, prompting ChinaAid founder Bob Fu to denounce the detention as a 'grave violation of religious freedom.'
- The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the criticism as 'interference in China's internal affairs,' with spokesperson Lin Jian maintaining that the government manages religious activities 'in accordance with the law.
13 Articles
13 Articles
China Detains Underground Church Leaders In Nationwide Crackdown
What happens when a church service suddenly turns into a police operation? Worshippers at one of China’s most closely watched underground churches found out firsthand this weekend.Members of Early Rain Covenant Church say armed police stormed their Sunday service in Jiangyou, southwest China. Interrupting prayers and detaining dozens of congregants, including children.Videos shared by the church showed worshippers surrounded by officers, with so…
While they were being held, church members continued to sing and pray.
China: Detention of church leaders signals intensifying attacks on religious freedom
Responding to the detention of two Chinese Protestant church leaders and the interrogation by police of multiple members of the congregation during a service on Sunday, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: “The detention of church leaders from the Early Rain Covenant Church is the latest example of the Chinese government’s efforts to […]
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