Last August, Corey Jackson of the persecution ministry Luke Alliance separately asked the leaders of Zion Church and Early Rain Covenant Church, two of the most well-known Chinese house churches, whether they anticipated a crackdown. Both said yes, due to a recent increase in government harassment, threats, interrogations, and short-term detentions of its leaders. They expected the new wave of persecution to begin at the turn of the new year.
Yet by October, Chinese authorities had detained pastor Jin “Ezra” Mingri along with nearly 30 pastors and staff at Zion. The prediction was more accurate for Early Rain in Chengdu, as police came knocking on the doors of its leaders and members on January 6, detaining at least nine people, four of whom were quickly released. Meanwhile, the church has lost contact with one of its deputy deacons.
Jackson noted that as churches have changed the way they operate—splitting into smaller groups that meet in different locations and expanding online services—the police have also updated their tactics. “What we’re seeing is more effort from the central government to curb these larger churches that also meet online,” he said.
Currently, police have not given family members any formal notices of criminal detention and refused to disclose relevant information about the case, including the specific charges Early Rain leaders and members are accused of, where they are being held, and the length of their detention, according to a church prayer letter. This has made it difficult for their legal team, who have not been allowed to meet with the detained, to help. Earlier, authorities had said they were suspected of “national security-related crimes.”
“We are not arrested for ordinary reasons, but because of our faith—and even in these circumstances, we seek to bear witness to Christ not only to the world, but also, when possible, to police officers and government officials,” a source close to Early Rain who was previously a missionary to Chengdu told CT. He asked not to be named due to security concerns. “We also believe it is a chance to speak to the global church.”
Both Zion and Early Rain faced crackdowns in 2018. In September of that year, the government banned Zion, detaining Jin and other leaders for several hours before releasing them. Then in December, authorities arrested Early Rain pastor Wang Yi and dozens of other leaders, sentencing Wang to nine years in prison for “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations.” Li Yingqiang, an elder and the current leader of Early Rain, spent about eight months in prison.
Yet afterward, the churches continued to meet online and in smaller groups. In the intervening years, police would occasionally detain Early Rain’s pastors and elders but typically only held them for 15–30 days. But this time, the coordination and scale of the arrests “marks a significant difference,” according to the former missionary.
Another difference is that this time, authorities not only detained leaders but also their wives. At 11 a.m. on January 6, police arrived at Li’s home in Deyang, Sichuan. They searched his home and took Li into custody. Officers later also brought his wife, Zhang Xinyue, and their two children, a 14-year-old daughter, Carlson, and an 11-year-old son, Xiao Di, into the police station.
At 9 p.m., police officers separated the children from their mother, escorting them back to their apartment, and kept them under surveillance, according to the church prayer letter. The next day, officers allowed them to stay with their grandmother.
“Despite being minors who committed no offense, they were forced to go to a detention facility,” the former missionary said. “This is deeply inhumane.”
As word of the detentions trickled through Early Rain group messages, the remaining leaders set in motion plans to keep the congregation informed, meet the concrete needs of the families of the detained, and ensure that small group gatherings and online services would continue uninterrupted. They called for a day of fasting and prayer among church members while also sending out public prayer letters that have been shared widely on social media.
They’re also providing practical help. After tracking down where authorities are holding the detained, members are sending packages full of food and clothing. They are delivering homemade meals and checking in on the families of the detained, including the pregnant wife of Dai Zhichao, a preacher at Early Rain who is currently being held in Deyang City detention center.
Beyond those arrested, other church members have also been affected by the crackdown. In the days following the initial arrest, police summoned many of the church members for questioning and placed some under surveillance. In one case, authorities beat church member Chen Yunfei at the entrance of his residential compound, warning him not to speak out on the social media site X anymore. The beating left him with bleeding and swelling in his face, and he needed to get four stitches above his eyebrow.
On Sunday, several church members said police placed them under surveillance and prevented them from leaving their homes to attend church. Community workers told them they had to report their whereabouts daily. But most members were able to gather as they had in the past—in small groups watching an online service. One of the other leaders preached on the Book of Luke in lieu of Li.
“Our approach is this: No matter what happens, we continue with expository preaching,” the former missionary said. “We do not make these events the center of the church’s preaching; rather, we allow the direction of the biblical text to guide how we understand the current environment of persecution. We will, of course, apply the Scriptures to this persecution and share with the congregation the situations facing the affected families.”
Sunday was supposed to be Li’s last time preaching before going on a three-month sabbatical to provide rest as his wife suffers from depression. Instead, “God has now placed him in prison for his rest,” the former missionary said.
Currently, Early Rain has 600 members split into three congregations. Despite the regular harassment the church has faced, it has continued to grow since the 2018 crackdown, Jackson said.
Members facing detention or police interrogation for the first time are worried and frightened. “No matter how much one prepares, we are always underprepared,” the former missionary said. Meanwhile, those who have experienced it before know that “while inside [the police station], they experienced shock and fear, but also God’s grace and protection.”
Early Rain came onto the Chinese government’s radar as it grew in prominence with a large church in Chengdu, a classical Christian school, a growing seminary, a pro-life ministry, and a ministry to the families of political dissidents. Wang, a former lawyer, was also outspoken about the government persecution of house churches and called for President Xi Jinping to repent for his sins.
In Wang’s 2018 Declaration of Faithful Disobedience, which the church published 48 hours after his detention, the pastor affirms his respect for government authority as permitted by God but argues that when the state opposes the gospel and interferes with the church, Christians must practice nonviolent, faith-based disobedience.
The former missionary countered the government’s claims that Early Rain was engaging in politics. “We are not engaging in politics; rather, it is the government’s politics that have entered the church,” he said.
The preparations Early Rain had made for a crackdown like this has helped it practically and spiritually. In 2022, Li and Zhang recorded a short video of themselves singing a hymn for their children in case of future arrest.
“Carlson, Xiaodi: If there comes a time when you cannot see Mom and Dad, remember the song we are singing today,” Li said.
They then sang the hymn “As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem” while smiling at the camera: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people. The Lord watches over you and protects you, from this time forth and forevermore.”
