Chapter 8: Appendix
Timeline of House Church Persecution (Dec 2024 - Nov 2025)
December 25, 2024 The Procuratorate of Bayi District, Nyingchi City, Tibet, filed a public prosecution against 10 Christians including Yao Xilin, Zhang Wei, Ren Xiaoyun, Wang Haiying, Li Chunjie, Qin Chenglan, Li Xiaolin, Xiao Mingzhi, Wang Ying, and Li Yan on charges of "suspected of organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law." These 10 brothers and sisters belong to the "All Sphere Church" (also known as "Word of Life Church" or "Born Again Movement"). They were released on bail pending trial or arrested between March and July 2024.
January 3, 2025 Two members of Maizhong Church in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, were administratively detained for 15 days on charges of "using cult activities to endanger society." (A total of 20 Christians from this church were administratively detained 23 times.)
January 8, 2025 The first instance trial of Sister Wan Chunqin, Elder Xue Shaoqiang, and Brother Cao Binting of Living Stone Reformed Church in Bengbu, Anhui Province, accused of "fraud," ended. They were released on bail pending trial and returned home after being imprisoned for 1 year and 8 months. However, Brother Wan Changchun, accused of the same crime, remained in detention.
January 17, 2025 Preacher Deng Yanxiang of Shengjia Church in Shunde, Guangdong, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for "illegal business operations"; Deacon Wang Weicai, Deacon Zhu Longjiang, Sister Zhu Qiaoling, and Elder Zhu Longfei were sentenced to 1 year and 5 months to 1 year and 2 months in prison for the same crime and have been released after serving their sentences.
February 7, 2025 A pre-trial conference was held for the case of Pastor Lian Changnian, Pastor Lian Xuliang, and Preacher Fu Juan of Abundance Church in Xi'an, Shaanxi, accused of "fraud." They were arrested and detained on August 17, 2022.
February 18, 2025 A pre-trial conference was held for the case of Preacher Li Jie, Preacher Han Xiaodong, and Brother Wang Qiang of Covenant Home Church in Linfen, Shaanxi, accused of "fraud." They were arrested and detained on August 19, 2022.
March 5, 2025 Pastor Zhao Hongliang and 3 other brothers of Xinyicun Church, Tianji Street, Panji District, Huainan City, Anhui Province, were criminally detained on charges of "illegal crimes," and 5 other brothers and sisters were released on bail pending trial.
March 6, 2025 Pastor Chang Yuchun and Shimu Li Chenhui of Xi'an, Shaanxi. Their children learned during a prison visit that their parents had been subjected to torture and forced confessions by police for a long time, and their father Chang Yuchun was also humiliated and abused by cellmates. Pastor Chang Yuchun and Shimu Li Chenhui were accused of "illegal business operations" for printing Christian books. They were arrested in July 2020 and sentenced to 7 years in prison the following year.
March 19, 2025 Brother Long Kehai of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan, was criminally detained by the Public Security Bureau of Huixian County, Gansu Province, on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."
March 23, 2025 Sister Dong Yanmei (Ruhama), a missionary of Beijing House Church, was criminally detained by the police in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, on suspicion of "organizing others to cross the national border illegally" for legally leaving the country to attend a Christian gathering.
March 24, 2025 Living Water Fountain Church in Xinjiang was accused by the local government of "illegal religious gathering." All its religious activities were banned, relevant assets were frozen, and coworkers Sister Hou Zhuocai and Brother Xie Rongguang were fined an amount far exceeding the church's offerings.
March 27, 2025 Brother Wan Changchun of Living Stone Reformed Church in Bengbu, Anhui, was sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan for "fraud" in the first instance; Elder Xue Shaoqiang was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months with a 4-year probation; Brother Cao Binting was sentenced to 2 years with a 3-year probation; Sister Wan Chunqin was sentenced to 2 years with a 2.5-year probation. Each was fined 3,000 yuan.
March 27, 2025 28 brothers and sisters of the church in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, were filed for investigation on suspicion of "organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law." In this case, the three visions of "Evangelization of China, Kingdomization of the Church, and Christianization of Culture" were listed as charges.
April 10, 2025 The first instance verdict was announced for the case of 10 Christians including Sister Wang Honglan in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia (arrested on April 15, 2021), accused of "illegal business operations" for subsidizing the sale of Bibles published by the "National Committee of Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China and China Christian Council." Inner Mongolia Christian Bible Sales Case: Sister Wang Honglan, sentenced to 4 years and 10 months, fined 1 million yuan Brother Wang Jiale, sentenced to 4.5 years, fined 200,000 yuan Sister Liu Minna, sentenced to 4.5 years, fined 200,000 yuan Brother Yang Zhijun, sentenced to 4 years and 3 months, fined 150,000 yuan Brother Ban Yanhong was sentenced to 5 years in prison for the same crime on December 5, 2024
Inner Mongolia Christian Bible Sales Case (continued): Brother Ji Heying, sentenced to 3 years, fined 20,000 yuan Brother Ji Guolong, sentenced to 3 years, fined 20,000 yuan Brother Zhang Wang, sentenced to 3 years, fined 20,000 yuan Brother Liu Wei, sentenced to 3 years, fined 20,000 yuan The above four brothers were all released on bail pending trial on April 14, 2024 Brother Li Chao (bailed in 2022) was sentenced to 1 year, fined 5,000 yuan
April 29, 2025 Several members of Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui, were raided by the Modern Industrial Park Public Security Branch while gathering normally at home. 10 children and 5 Sunday school teachers and parents were taken away, among whom Sisters Chen Fangfang and Wang Dandan were administratively detained for 14 days.
May 9, 2025 The case of Preacher Li Jie, Preacher Han Xiaodong, and Brother Wang Qiang of Covenant Home Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, accused of "fraud," opened, but no verdict was announced.
May 16, 2025 68-year-old Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pastor Jiao Yong, Pastor Tang Bingyi, Elder Wang Yibo, Preacher Guo Ru, Sister Li Qing, and Sister Du Juan of Light of Zion Church in Xi'an were criminally detained on suspicion of "using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law." 2 other coworkers were taken away by the police.
May 26, 2025 The case of Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu of Hefei Ganquan Church, accused of "fraud," was heard in the Shushan District Court of Hefei City. They had been detained for a year and a half since November 30, 2023. This trial exposed serious violations by the public security, procuratorate, and court in obstructing testimony, and finally announced a postponement of the trial.
June 2, 2025 Guiyang Beautiful Gate Church was raided by police during Sunday worship, and everyone present was taken to the police station. Elder Yao Yong and Brother Mao Yue were administratively detained for 15 days.
June 4, 2025 Within one week, branch churches of Zion Church in multiple cities were raided. Pastor Gao Le, Elder Yao Yong, and Brother Mao Yue were administratively detained for 5 to 15 days respectively.
June 20, 2025 Verdicts were announced for the cases of Golden Lampstand Church and Covenant Home Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province. The verdicts were announced in the court and the detention center respectively. Lawyers were not allowed to be present during the announcement in the detention center. Later learned: Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church: Preacher Yang Rongli was heavily sentenced to 15 years, and Pastor Wang Xiaoguang was heavily sentenced to 9 years and 7 months in prison.
Linfen Golden Lampstand Church: Brother Li Shuangping, fraud, sentenced to 9 years and 2 months, fined 100,000 RMB Sister Li Qin, fraud, sentenced to 5 years and 7 months, fined 50,000 RMB Sister Huo Zhuangping, fraud, sentenced to 5 years and 5 months, fined 50,000 RMB Sister Zhao Guoai, fraud, sentenced to 5 years and 4 months, fined 50,000 RMB Sister Feng Junying, fraud, sentenced to 4 years and 10 months, fined 40,000 RMB Brother Dong Yongyong, fraud, sentenced to 3 years and 11 months, fined 40,000 RMB Sister Yang Hongzhen, fraud, sentenced to 2 years and 9 months, probation 3 years, fined 30,000 RMB Sister Wang Xianfeng, fraud, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, probation 3 years, fined 20,000 RMB Sister Chen Qinglan, fraud, sentenced to 2 years and 2 months, probation 2 years and 6 months, fined 20,000 RMB Sister Wu Ling'e, fraud, sentenced to 1 year and 10 months, probation 2 years, fined 3,000 RMB Covenant Home Church: Preacher Li Jie, fraud, sentenced to 3 years and 8 months, fined 30,000 Preacher Han Xiaodong, fraud, sentenced to 3 years and 8 months, fined 30,000 Brother Wang Qiang, fraud, sentenced to 1 year and 11 months, fined 20,000
June 24, 2025 The Xi'an Abundance Church case opened. Lawyers and "victims" identified by the court were delayed outside the courtroom. The court attempted to unilaterally terminate the defense lawyer's representation. Pastor Lian Changnian stated he would not terminate the lawyer's representation.
June 28, 2025 Pastor Ming Dao, Brother Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao Huaxuan, Sister Liu, and Sister Gu of Shenyang Celtic Fellowship were arrested on charges of "using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law."
June 29, 2025 Two groups of Maizhong Church in Fuyang, Anhui, were raided. Nineteen members were taken away. Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao were criminally detained on charges of "illegal gathering." Pastor Zhang Sen's home was broken into, and his wife (Shimu) was taken away.
July 6, 2025 Members of Word of Life Church in multiple places in Liaoning were arrested, including at least 5 pastors, on charges of "using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law."
July 8, 2025 Sister Qin Wen, a "victim" in the Xi'an Abundance Church case, was detained for 12 days and fired by her employer for insisting on appearing in court to prove she was not a victim.
July 9, 2025 ① Xi'an Abundance Church case opened. Lawyers were blocked from entering the court. The trial process was procedurally illegal: the prosecution "evidence" was vastly different from the defendant's transcript; the court also blocked Pastor Lian Changnian's voice through technical means. ② Pastor Zhang Sen of Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church was arrested in Xuzhou.
July 16-18, 24, 2025 The case of Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu of Hefei Ganquan Church, accused of fraud, opened for the second time. During the trial, the judge unreasonably rejected jurisdiction and recusal applications, forcibly pushed the trial, seriously deviating from procedural justice.
July 29, 2025 Pastor Huang Yizi of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, was arrested on suspicion of "illegal business operations." Brother Li Yongfeng in the same case was forcibly taken from a hospital bed and arrested on suspicion of "illegal business operations" on August 1.
August 1, 2025 ① Pastor Piao Jinshun, Elder Zhu Zhengwu, and coworkers of Lingshan Church in Chuxiong, Yunnan, were arrested for "organizing and funding illegal gatherings." ② Multiple house churches in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, were cleared out, worship venues sealed, equipment removed, and religious activities forced to stop.
August 22, 2025 The case of Pastor Sun Chenghao in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, opened. Pastor Sun traveled to Jeju Island, South Korea, for sightseeing via customs with a legal passport in August 2023 and returned to China normally. On December 15 of the same year, he was suddenly arrested by Zhangye police for "organizing others to cross the national border illegally."
August 25, 2025 Four brothers, Zhao Hongliang, Shang Lei, Xu Yongshui, and Xu Kehong of Covenant Church in Panji District, Huainan City, Anhui Province, were prosecuted to the Panji District Court for "intentional destruction of property." Brother Xu Yongshui was bailed on August 27.
September 5, 2025 ① Brother Xue Shaoqiang and Sister Wan Chunqin of Living Stone Reformed Church in Bengbu, Anhui, who had been released, were re-imprisoned because the court withdrew their probation. ② Pastor Zhao Huaiguo of Bethel (also known as Bethlehem) Church in Cili County, Hunan, died suddenly. He was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison and fined 150,000 yuan for "inciting subversion of state power" in March 2020. He was unable to pay and was suing the government for the illegality of the fine. ③ The Intermediate People's Court of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, issued a ruling upholding the first-instance judgment of the Huimin District Court on the case of Wang Honglan and others accused of illegal business operations for subsidizing the purchase of Bibles.
September 7, 2025 The Tianhe meeting point of Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church was raided during Sunday worship.
September 8, 2025 Brother Li Guiwen, a Lisu Christian in Yuanmou County, Yunnan, was arrested by the Yuanmou County Public Security Bureau on suspicion of "organizing illegal gatherings" and transferred to the procuratorate on October 17.
September 26, 2025 Brother Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao, Sister Liu, and Sister Gu of Shenyang Celtic Fellowship were detained again for "using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law." Sister Enmei, wife of Brother Wang Xiangchao, was also listed as a suspect in this case and released on bail after compulsory measures were taken by the police.
September 30, 2025 Shimu Hua Zhao, wife of Pastor Ming Dao of Shenyang Celtic Fellowship, was detained.
October 9, 2025 Beijing Zion Church's gathering places in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other places were sealed, and nearly 30 pastors and coworkers were detained or lost contact successively.
October 11, 2025 A house church in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, was raided, and 5 members were administratively detained for using the name of religion falsely.
October 12, 2025 Taiyuan Xuncheng Church's Sunday worship was raided by police. Preacher An Yankui, Brother Zhang Chenghao, Brother Zhao Weikai, Brother Zhang Fengbo, Brother Liu Baofu, Brother Wang Yingjie, Sister Wang Ying, Sister Wang Shufang, Sister Dong Wei (still breastfeeding), Sister Song Xiaohong, and Sister Xu Cuili were administratively detained for 15 days.
October 12, 2025 List of personnel involved in the China Zion Church "10.9" case: Shanghai: Pastor Wang Lin, Brother Liu Jiang Beijing: Preacher Wu Xiaoyu, Pastor Wang Cong, Pastor Sun Cong, Sister Li Shengjuan, Pastor Gao Yingjia, Sister Ming Li, Sister Hu Yanzi Jiaxing, Zhejiang: Preacher Zhan Ge Beihai, Guangxi: Pastor Jin Mingri (illegal use of information networks), Pastor Yin Huibin, Preacher Mi Sha, Sister Cui Xiaole, Shimu Yang, Sister Tu Ya, Sister An Mei Shandong: Pastor Liu Zhenbin Chengdu, Sichuan: Pastor Lin Shucheng (Mu Chenglin)
October 16, 2025 It has been confirmed that 22 coworkers of the China Zion Church 10.9 case are detained. 13 sisters are detained in Beihai No. 1 Detention Center, and 9 brothers are detained in Beihai No. 2 Detention Center. · Pastor Wang Cong · Preacher Mi Sha · Sister Yang Lijun · Sister Tu Ya · Sister Li Shengjuan · Sister An Mei · Sister Zhu Mingli · Sister Huang Chunzi · Sister Wu Qiuyu · Sister Cui Xiaole · Sister Zhan Ge · Pastor Jin Mingri · Pastor Yin Huibin · Pastor Gao Yingjia · Pastor Wang Lin · Pastor Liu Shuobin · Pastor Sun Cong · Pastor Lin Shucheng · Elder Wang Zhong · Preacher Sun Xue · Brother Liu Jiang
"5PM in China" List of Detainees
Table 1: List of Sentenced Personnel
| Name | Church/Background | Charge (According to Documents) | Sentence/Verdict | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Yi | Early Rain Covenant Church | Inciting subversion of state power, illegal business operations | Sentenced to 9 years | Sentence until Dec 2027 |
| Zhang Chunlei | Guiyang Ren'ai Reformed Church | Inciting subversion of state power, fraud | Sentenced to 5 years 6 months | Sentence until Mar 16, 2026 |
| Yu Wensheng | Beijing Zion Church | Inciting subversion of state power | Sentenced to 3 years | Sentence until Apr 12, 2026 |
| Ju Dianhong | Yunnan House Church | Using a cult to undermine law implementation | Sentenced to 13 years | Sentence until Oct 20, 2029 |
| Liang Qin | Yunnan House Church | Using a cult to undermine law implementation | Sentenced to 10 years | Sentence until Oct 20, 2026 |
| Pan Zizheng | Nanchang Local Church | Using a cult to undermine law implementation | Sentenced to 3 years 6 months | Sentence until Nov 11, 2026 |
| Huang Hua | Nanchang Local Church | Using a cult to undermine law implementation | Sentenced to 3 years 3 months | Sentence until Jul 27, 2026 |
| Du Liangming | Xinzhou House Church | Organizing others to cross national border illegally | Sentenced to 5 years | Sentence until Mar 14, 2026 |
| Li Yanping | Xinzhou Baode House Church | Organizing others to cross national border illegally | Sentenced to 7 years | Sentence until Mar 14, 2028 |
| Wang Xiaoguang | Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 9 years 7 months | Fined 100,000 yuan |
| Yang Rongli | Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 15 years | Fined 500,000 yuan |
| Li Shuangping | Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 9 years 2 months | Sentence until Oct 21, 2030 |
| Huo Zhuangping | Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 5 years 5 months | Sentence until Feb 28, 2027 |
| Zhao Guoai | Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 5 years 4 months | Sentence until Dec 21, 2026 |
| Li Jie | Shanxi Linfen Covenant Home Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 3 years 8 months | |
| Han Xiaodong | Shanxi Linfen Covenant Home Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 3 years 8 months | |
| Hao Zhiwei | Hubei Ezhou Egangqiao Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 8 years | Sentence until Jul 2027 |
| Mu En | Hefei Youth Fellowship | Fraud | Sentenced to 3.5 years | Sentence until Mar 2026 |
| Wan Changchun | Anhui Bengbu Living Stone Reformed Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 5 years | Sentence until Apr 10, 2028 |
| Xue Shaoqiang | Anhui Bengbu Living Stone Reformed Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 2 years 6 months | Probation revoked, re-imprisoned |
| Wan Chunqin | Anhui Bengbu Living Stone Reformed Church | Fraud | Sentenced to 2 years | Probation revoked, re-imprisoned |
| Bao Guohua | Zhejiang Jinhua Church | Embezzlement, illegal business operations, etc. | Sentenced to 14 years | Sentence until Jul 2029 |
| Zhang Shaojie | Nanle County, Henan | Fraud, gathering crowds to disturb social order | Sentenced to 12 years | Sentence until 2026 |
| Chang Yuchun | Xi'an Church | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 7 years | Sentence until Sep 2027 |
| Li Chenhui | Xi'an Church | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 7 years | Sentence until Sep 2027 |
| Yang Jianxin | Henan RPC | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 5 years 5 months | Sentence until Jul 2026 |
| Qin Sifeng | Beijing Lampstand Church | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 5 years 5 months | Sentence until Feb 2028 |
| Ban Yanhong | Inner Mongolia Hohhot House Church | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 5 years | Sentence until Apr 2026 |
| Wang Honglan | Inner Mongolia Hohhot House Church | Illegal business operations | Sentenced to 4 years 10 months | Sentence until Feb 14, 2026 |
| Zhao Hongliang | Anhui Huainan Covenant Church | Intentional destruction of property | Sentenced to 1 year 1 month | Sentence until Mar 21, 2026 |
| Shang Lei | Anhui Huainan Covenant Church | Intentional destruction of property | Sentenced to 1 year | Sentence until Feb 13, 2026 |
| Xu Kehong | Anhui Huainan Covenant Church | Intentional destruction of property | Detention 4 months | Probation 5 months |
| Zhang Zhan | Shanghai | Picking quarrels and provoking trouble | Sentenced to 4 years | Re-sentenced on Sep 19, 2025 |
| Ji Xiaolong | Shanghai | Picking quarrels and provoking trouble | Sentenced to 4 years 6 months | |
| Benny Tai | Hong Kong (Pan-dem/Methodist) | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 10 years | |
| Joshua Wong | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 4 years 8 months | |
| Kalvin Ho | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 6 years 7 months | |
| Lam Cheuk-ting | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 6 years 9 months | |
| Tam Tak-chi | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 4 years 5 months | |
| Jeremy Tam | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 4 years 2 months | |
| Claudia Mo | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 4 years 2 months | |
| Helena Wong | Hong Kong | Conspiracy to subvert state power | Sentenced to 6 years 6 months |
Table 2: List of Detained or Enforced Disappearance Personnel (Unsentenced)
| Name | Church/Background | Time of Detention/Disappearance | Charge/Situation (According to Documents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jin Mingri | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Illegal use of information networks (Criminal Detention) |
| Gao Yingjia | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Illegal use of information networks |
| Sun Cong | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Illegal use of information networks |
| Yin Huibin | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Illegal use of information networks |
| Wang Lin | Zion Church | Oct 9, 2025 | Enforced disappearance/Lost contact with family |
| Liu Zhenbin | Zion Church | Oct 11, 2025 | Taken away, home searched |
| Lin Shucheng (Mu Chenglin) | Zion Church | Oct 11, 2025 | Detained and lost contact |
| Wang Zhong | Zion Church | Oct 17, 2025 | Taken away by Shanghai police |
| Wang Cong | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Taken away by Beihai Public Security Bureau |
| Mi Sha | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Arrested, taken back to Beihai for detention |
| Zhan Ge | Zion Church | Oct 10, 2025 | Arrested, taken back to Beihai for detention |
| Liu Jiang | Zion Church (Multimedia) | - | Detained |
| Wu Qiuyu, Li Shengjuan, etc. | Zion Church | - | Including Zhu Mingli, Cui Xiaole, An Mei |
| Zhang Sen | Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church | Jul 9, 2025 | Suspected of organizing and funding illegal gatherings |
| Chang Shun | Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church | Jun 29, 2025 | Suspected of illegal gathering |
| Ma Tao | Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church | Jun 29, 2025 | Suspected of illegal gathering |
| Piao Jinshun | Yunnan Chuxiong Lingshan Church | Jul 29, 2025 | Organizing and funding illegal gatherings |
| Zhu Zhengwu | Yunnan Chuxiong Lingshan Church | Jul 29, 2025 | Organizing and funding illegal gatherings |
| Chen Yueli | Hong Kong Christian | Dec 19, 2023 | Illegal business operations |
| Huang Yizi | Wenzhou Pingyang Fengwo Church | Jun 26, 2025 | Illegal business operations (Arrest approved Aug 1) |
| Li Yongfeng | Wenzhou Pingyang Fengwo Church | Jun 26, 2025 | Illegal business operations |
| Jimmy Lai | Hong Kong (Catholic) | Since Dec 2020 | Collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security |
| Cheng Xiaofeng | Zhuzhou, Hunan | Jul 5, 2024 | Picking quarrels and provoking trouble |
| Long Kehai | Early Rain Covenant Church | Mar 31 (Arrested) | Picking quarrels and provoking trouble |
| Sun Chenghao | Gansu Zhangye House Church | Dec 15, 2023 | Organizing others to cross national border illegally |
| Liu Xuxue and 28 others | Hubei Suizhou Word of Life | Apr 25, 2023 | Using a cult organization to undermine law implementation (Including Su Mingai, Wang Xueli, etc.) |
| Ming Dao | Shenyang Celtic Youth Fellowship | Jun 29, 2025 | Using a cult organization to undermine law implementation |
| Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao, Sister Liu | Shenyang Celtic Youth Fellowship | Sep 26-29, 2025 | Using a cult organization to undermine law implementation (Re-detained) |
| Lian Changnian | Xi'an Abundance Church | Nov 2, 2025 | Fraud (Re-arrested) |
| Lian Xuliang | Xi'an Abundance Church | Nov 2, 2025 | Fraud (Re-arrested) |
| Fu Juan | Xi'an Abundance Church | Nov 2, 2025 | Fraud (Re-arrested) |
| Gao Guojie | Christian Entrepreneur | Sep 24, 2022 | |
| Zhou Songlin | Hefei Ganquan Church | Nov 30, 2023 | Fraud |
| Ding Zhongfu | Hefei Ganquan Church | Nov 30, 2023 | Fraud |
| Gao Quanfu | Xi'an Light of Zion Church | May 16, 2025 | Using superstition to undermine law implementation |
| Tang Bingyi | Xi'an Light of Zion Church | May 16, 2025 | Using superstition to undermine law implementation |
| Pang Yu | Xi'an Light of Zion Church | Sep 3, 2025 | Fraud |
| Gao Zhisheng | Rights Defense Lawyer | Since Aug 19, 2017 | Enforced disappearance to date |
3. Excerpts of Testimonies and Letters
3.1 Elder Zhang Chunlei's Prison Letter (May 25, 2025)
Background: Elder Zhang Chunlei of Guiyang Ren'ai Reformed Church was arrested in March 2021 and later sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison. This is a letter he wrote to his children from prison.
Dear Qing'er and Xi'er, Peace!
When we parted that day, I was quite reluctant. There were tears at parting because some uncontrollable grievances, or injustices, suddenly welled up in my heart. After returning, I meditated and prayed quietly, but I saw Lord Jesus in Gethsemane, on the way of the cross, on Golgotha, and on the cross, so helpless. How great was His injustice?! What is my little suffering compared to His? I felt ashamed and was healed.
Paul said: "Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?" Thank the Lord, His grace is made perfect in Paul's weakness, and also in my weakness.
...
The themes I have been meditating on recently include "Charity," "Language & Text," "Shine Like Stars," "Evolution and Destination of Civilization," "Family," etc., and I have gained some insights. In the past few years, I have thought most about three keywords: Cross (Faith), Golden Lampstand (Church), and Messiah (Christ). The Cross is the focus, the Golden Lampstand is the key point, and the Messiah is everything.
...
Your loving Chunlei At Youfu Xingyi A.D. May 25, 2025
3.2 Shimu Yang Rongli's Prison Letter to Son (July 22, 2025)
Background: Shimu Yang Rongli of Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi, was heavily sentenced to 15 years in June 2025. This is a letter she wrote to her son after the verdict.
Xiangxiang:
Son, peace. Lawyer Wen brought news of your family. I am deeply gratified and more than happy.
On June 20, the judge came to the detention center and announced my sentence of 15 years. This is a great crown given to me by God. My first words to the judge at that time were: The sentence is too light. That day, I was thinking very calmly and controlling my emotions. There was a peace and joy from heaven with me. The leaders of the detention center were very surprised to see my reaction to the 15-year prison sentence.
...
Appeal is not my hope; waiting for God's greater work is my expectation. This is my reason for appealing. I believe Jehovah God is still my Father God. The power of Jesus' resurrection will be greatly manifested in this era.
I will continue to work with Lord Christ and see His deeds, but it is hard for my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, and my husband whom I haven't taken good care of. In this life, I have not done well—I have not been a good wife or a good mother, and I am even more unworthy to be a grandmother to my grandson today. But the Lord's arrangement for me is to first "be a human" for Him. I believe the Lord will make up for these days eaten by locusts.
3.3 Pastor Chang Shun's Prison Letter (October 1, 2025)
Background: Pastor Chang Shun of Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui, was arrested in June 2025.
Recently, I have been constantly thinking that if we do not reflect deeply, our words and deeds can easily mislead many people. Just as many people throughout history have experienced such things. Imprisonment is just a way of serving. Just like Jeremiah, because he was faithful and preached God's word, he was also thrown into a dry well and had only one cake to eat every day. This is the path God has set for our lives, so this is just a way for us to serve God...
I also hope that my wife and the brothers and sisters in the church, when we are weak, we should be real. We should be honest with brothers and sisters and honest with God. We must not be heroes. When we are heroes, it is when we forget God. The more we boast of our weakness, the more we are connected with Christ...
We are also prone to make suffering the focus of our lives at the moment... But I still want to say that the greatest reality is not all this external stuff we see. The greatest reality is that the Kingdom of Heaven is constantly expanding in this world, and Christ still reigns...
3.4 Open Letter from Sister Shi Lin, Wife of Brother Sun Xue (October 22, 2025)
Background: Brother Sun Xue of Beijing Zion Church was arrested across provinces at his home in Zhengzhou on October 12, 2025.
Peace to family members, I am Sister Shi Lin, wife of Brother Sun Xue...
At 10 PM on October 12, the community police in the Fengyasong area of Zhengzhou tricked us into opening the door on the grounds of a census... More than 3 hours later, at over 1 AM on the 13th, the noise outside became louder and louder. More than a dozen people forcibly broke in and immediately handcuffed Brother Sun behind his back...
I didn't sleep all night that day. The next day, the kind person who provided us with accommodation was also pressured by the community police not to take us in. The child had diarrhea for five consecutive days because he couldn't eat regularly for several days... In a strange room, I held the child alone and cried out to God. He really gave us peace beyond understanding to keep us!
Dad's sudden departure, he never mentions it during the day. The less he mentions it, the more my heart aches. He wakes up with a start at night and often calls "Daddy, Daddy" while half asleep. Plus, the child's hand was scalded by the water dispenser. He hangs on me all day, has no sense of security, and is afraid that I will also leave him suddenly. I am really physically and mentally exhausted!
3.5 Prayer Letter from Shimu Su Ziming, Wife of Pastor Wang Lin (November 11, 2025)
Background: Pastor Wang Lin of Beijing Zion Church lost contact on October 9, 2025, and was later confirmed arrested. Shimu Su Ziming was displaced with two children.
Because of our faith and Pastor Wang Lin's identity, the pressure on him and our family has been increasing in recent years. Since June of this year, we have been forced to move from one city to another with two children. Every time we just settled down in a place, we were forced by various secret means and could not continue to live in peace... We moved around like this for more than 4 months in six or seven cities.
Besides worrying about the church and congregation he shepherds and the coworkers who are also detained, what Wang Lin hopes for most now is that his loss of personal freedom can be exchanged for the freedom of his two children and their freedom to enjoy education! ...
However, on the evening of November 10, when I was preparing to leave the country with my two children, I found that I was also restricted from leaving the country due to the church case. The reason was actually suspected of illegal use of information networks, and I was restricted from leaving the country by the Beihai Public Security Bureau. After the children's right to education in China was deprived, the possibility of us going abroad to find a school was also shattered again.
4. References and Cited Materials
4.1 Laws and Regulations
- Constitution of the People's Republic of China
- Regulations on Religious Affairs (Revised in 2018)
- Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services
- Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals on the Internet (2025)
- Public Security Administration Punishments Law (Revised in 2025)
4.2 Reports and Statements
- ChinaAid Annual Persecution Report (2024-2025)
- Daily Prayer Information from "5PM in China" Kingdom Prayer Meeting
- Emergency Statement on the "10.9" Case by the Pastoral Team of Beijing Zion Church
- Statement of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church on the "10.9 Zion Case"
4.3 News Reports
- Relevant reports from Radio Free Asia (RFA)
- Relevant reports from Christianity Today
5. Special Data Package: Beijing Zion Church Incident Timeline (2025.10.9−)
5.1 Background
Beijing Zion Church was founded by Pastor Jin Mingri in 2007. On September 9, 2018, the church venue was banned, and Pastor Jin Mingri was restricted from leaving the country. Since then, the church has shifted to dispersed pastoral care and established branch churches in many places across the country.
5.2 "10.9" Mass Arrest Timeline
- October 9, 2025: Authorities launched unified arrests in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other places. Pastor Wang Lin was taken away at Shenzhen Airport and lost contact.
- October 10, 2025: Pastor Jin Mingri and Pastor Yin Huibin were arrested in Beihai, Guangxi. On the same day, many pastors (Gao Yingjia, Wang Cong, Sun Cong, Mi Sha, etc.) were arrested in various places.
- October 11, 2025: Pastor Liu Zhenbin was taken away in Shandong. Pastor Mu Chenglin was detained in Chengdu.
- October 16, 2025: Confirmed that 22 coworkers were detained in Beihai No. 1 and No. 2 Detention Centers.
- November 6-7, 2025: Families and lawyers went to relevant departments in Beihai to submit complaint materials.
- November 14, 2025: Shimu Su Ziming was released.
5.3 Case Characterization
Authorities accused Pastor Jin Mingri and others of suspected "illegal use of information networks," intending to cut off the cross-regional contact and online pastoral care of house churches.
6. Special Data Package: Shanxi Golden Lampstand Church Persecution Timeline (2015–2025)
6.1 Early Persecution (2009-2016)
- 2009: Preacher Yang Rongli, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and others were sentenced.
- 2016: Preacher Yang Rongli was released after serving her sentence.
6.2 Church Destruction and Re-arrest (2018-2021)
- January 9, 2018: The Golden Lampstand Church, worth 17 million yuan, was forcibly demolished by explosives by the authorities.
- August 7, 2021: 12 coworkers including Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, Preacher Yang Rongli, and Li Shuangping were arrested again and accused of "fraud."
6.3 Long-term Detention and Heavy Sentencing (2021-2025)
- 2021-2024: The case remained unjudged for a long time, and the persons involved were detained beyond the legal limit.
- June 20, 2025: The verdict was announced. Preacher Yang Rongli was heavily sentenced to 15 years, and Pastor Wang Xiaoguang was sentenced to 9 years and 7 months. Brother Li Shuangping was sentenced to 9 years and 2 months.
- January 2025: Li Shuangping's mother passed away, and his application for bail to attend the funeral was not approved.
7. Quick Reference for Terms and Articles (Not Legal Advice)
7.1 Common Charges
- Fraud: Authorities often characterize house church tithes as fraudulent funds to accuse church leaders.
- Illegal Business Operations: Often used to accuse internal printing and sales of Bibles or spiritual books within the church.
- Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble: Used to suppress Christians who express opinions online or preach in public places.
- Organizing and Using a Cult Organization to Undermine the Implementation of the Law: Often used to accuse groups characterized as "cults" (such as "All Sphere Church"), but increasingly used for ordinary house churches.
- Illegal Use of Information Networks: The main charge in the 2025 Zion Case.
7.2 Key Legal Articles
- Article 31 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law: Lists "illegal religious activities" alongside "cult activities," giving public security organs greater power of administrative detention.
8. Data Methodology Explanation
8.1 Data Sources
The data in this report mainly comes from:
- Persecution information released by ChinaAid.
- Prayer information collected by "5PM in China" Kingdom Prayer Meeting.
- Prayer letters, statements, and legal documents publicly released by persecuted churches and families.
- Case notifications released by lawyers.
8.2 Statistical Rules
- Time Range: December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025.
- De-duplication Rules: For multi-party reports on the same event, the most original and detailed source prevails to avoid double counting.
- Regional Scope: Classified statistics according to administrative divisions.
9. Selected Prayers
9.1 Prayer for Persecuted Pastors
"Lord, please remember Your servants in prison. Grant them a heart of strength and courage so that they can still see Your glory in tribulation. Protect their bodies and heal their diseases. Be with them as You were with Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace."
9.2 Prayer for Persecuted Churches
"Lord, please watch over Your church. Although the wind and waves are great, You are the Lord of the church. Give us wisdom and courage so that we can still stand in persecution, hold fast to the truth, and spread the gospel widely. Revive the church in China so that the kingdom on this earth becomes the kingdom of our Lord and Lord Christ."
10. Acknowledgements and Postscript
(To be added)
Limited by the secrecy of many house churches and information blockade, the data and event records in this report may not be completely exhaustive. We thank all individuals and organizations who provided information and support for this report, especially those brothers and sisters who bravely stood up to share their experiences, whether they gained strength or paid the price. May the Lord bless them and give them comfort and strength from heaven in their tribulation.