China (MNN) — In July, Pastor Ezra Jin of Zion Church was unexpectedly released after more than eight months of detention in China. 

Authorities had arrested Jin and seventeen other Zion Church leaders in October, under charges likely related to the church’s online ministry. The government said they were “illegally using information networks,” according to a report from International Christian Concern. 

The crackdown gained international attention. Eventually, Pastor Jin’s arrest came up in a May 2026 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and United States President Donald Trump. This likely led to Jin’s release in July.

Anna Liu, Jin’s wife, says now that Jin is reunited with their family in the United States, he will probably take on a mentoring role and help to plant churches in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.

“We hope Zion Church not only bless China, but also we can stand with other churches globally [for] ministry,” Liu says. 

The challenges for Zion Church aren’t over yet. Eight of its leaders remain in detention under new criminal charges. 

“Six of them are charged [with] fraud, and three of them charged with illegal business operation. Among the eight, we have one charged with two criminal charges,” says Liu. 

For Zion Church members at first, the arrests of their leaders caused fear. But Liu says the detained pastors and the congregants wrote letters back and forth. They were able to encourage each other’s faith.

(Photo courtesy of Note Thanun/Unsplash)

“Christianity in China, since 1989 until now, always faced persecution and always faced difficulties. Never stopped, even one day,” says Liu. She says that right now is a time of less freedom and more restrictions. 

Case in point: laws in recent years have banned religious instruction for children and have been increasingly enforced. Liu says the responsibility falls on parents to pass down their faith to their own children.

“Also, I think we can [minister to] children through our kids — you know, peers or classmates or friends. But this is really getting harder. This is reality,” says Liu. 

But in the midst of these pressures, there’s a message Liu wants other churches to hear: “I like people to know God is really good. And even [in the] detention center, my husband told me that God really stay[ed] close with him,” she says.

Please pray for the eight detained Zion Church members to be released and reunited with their families. Praise God for their faith even as they go through these difficulties. 

Second, Liu asks for prayer for Chinese Christians to stand firm with bravery. Faith is their backbone, she says. 

“I [would] like this message or story [to] influence other churches: We can hold our faith until we meet with Jesus,” she says. 

 

Header photo courtesy of Karwin Luo/Unsplash.