China Has Detained 8 Members Of An Underground Church, Here's Why

Last Updated:January 11, 2026, 23:38 IST

Early Rain Covenant Church leaders Li Yingqiang, Zhang Xinyue, Dai Zhichao, and Ye Fenghua detained in Sichuan amid Beijing's crackdown on unregistered Christian groups.

Early Rain Covenant Church leaders Li Yingqiang, Zhang Xinyue, Dai Zhichao, and Ye Fenghua detained in Sichuan amid Beijing's crackdown on unregistered Christian groups. (A church in China (representative image: AFP)

Leaders of a prominent underground Christian church have been detained in south-west China, in what rights groups say is the latest sign of an intensified crackdown on unregistered religious groups under Beijing’s tightening controls.

According to a statement issued by the Early Rain Covenant Church, police on Tuesday detained its leader Li Yingqiang, from his home in Deyang, a city in Sichuan province. His wife, Zhang Xinyue, was also taken into custody, along with pastor Dai Zhichao and a lay member, Ye Fenghua. At least four other members were briefly detained and later released, while several others remain unaccounted for, the church said.

The detentions come weeks after 18 senior members of the Zion Church were arrested in a nationwide operation in October. In December, Human Rights Watch also reported that around 100 members of another unofficial church in Zhejiang province had been detained.

Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, told the Guardian that the arrests appeared to be part of a broader campaign against house churches. “As Beijing tightens its ideological control, unofficial churches are seen as disobedient to Communist Party ideology and therefore face severe consequences," he said.

One Early Rain member was reportedly summoned on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a broadly defined offence frequently used against critics and activists. It remains unclear whether those still in custody have been formally charged. Public security authorities in Deyang and Chengdu declined to comment.

In a statement, the church urged its congregation to “hold fast to the faith, love one another, and remain united amid persecution." The US House Select Committee on China said on X that Early Rain was targeted because it refused “to bow" to the Chinese Communist Party.

Early Rain is among China’s most prominent “house churches", so called because worshippers meet privately rather than in state-approved venues. Its founder, Wang Yi, a legal scholar and human rights advocate, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2019 for inciting subversion of state power.

While China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and the state officially recognises five religions, critics say religious space has sharply narrowed under Xi Jinping. Unregistered religious activity has increasingly been targeted, particularly since a major crackdown on house churches in 2018 that forced groups such as Early Rain and Zion to shift to online sermons and smaller private gatherings.

Corey Jackson, founder of the Luke Alliance and a former missionary in China, said pastors were warned last year that there would be “no leeway" for unlicensed churches in 2026. “Many believers have stopped attending in-person meetings because of intimidation," he said.

A source familiar with the situation told teh Giardian that Li had sensed authorities closing in. “He felt arrest was inevitable and told others they might not hear from him for a long time," the source said.

In September, China introduced new rules banning unlicensed religious groups from holding online sermons. That same month, Xi called for the further “sinicisation" of religion, urging faith groups to align more closely with Communist Party ideology.

Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, said the message from authorities was clear. “Large, organised house churches will be crushed. Even their online afterlives are now being shut down," he said.

Despite the pressure, some scholars believe China’s Christian community will continue to grow. Official estimates put Christians at around 3% of the population, though independent figures suggest the number could be higher. Yang Fenggang, a professor at Purdue University, said house churches are unlikely to disappear. “Authorities can punish prominent leaders and break large churches into smaller groups, but smaller groups often prove more resilient," he said.

Last year, Li was quoted in the newsletter Women as saying that despite severe restrictions, the church remained a vital part of China’s fragile civil society, continuing to function and grow “amid hardship."

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