Pastor Jin Mingri Freed After Weeks of Detention

In early July 2026, Jin Mingri, the founder of China’s Zion Church, walked out of a Chinese detention center and stepped onto a flight bound for Los Angeles. His release ends a harrowing period that began with a massive raid on unregistered churches in October 2025, an operation that targeted more than thirty house churches across the nation.

The Zion Church, which began in 2007 with just twenty worshippers, expanded into one of the country’s largest underground Christian networks. By 2025 it reported roughly ten thousand believers in forty cities. The church’s refusal to install government‑mandated security cameras in 2018 led to an official ban, and the subsequent crackdown resulted in the arrest of Jin and seventeen other leaders on charges of “illegally using information networks.”

International pressure mounted quickly. Christian advocacy groups, most notably ChinaAid, broadcast prayers and petitions worldwide. The family of Jin thanked supporters and specifically highlighted the impact of a direct plea from U.S. President Donald Trump during his May state visit to Beijing. President Trump publicly stated that he had raised Jin’s imprisonment with President Xi and that Xi was considering the pastor’s case seriously.

When Chinese officials informed Jin that his release was a goodwill gesture linked to the United States’ Independence Day celebrations, his family expressed overwhelming gratitude. They praised both the Trump administration and President Xi for the “direct intervention.” The family’s statements emphasized that while the pastor’s freedom was a cause for celebration, many fellow believers—eight former officers of the Zion Church—remain behind bars, urging continued prayer and advocacy.

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Jin was reunited with his wife, daughter Grace, and two sons, many of whom had been living abroad since 2018 to evade persecution. The reunion was marked by emotional embraces and public thanks to supporters worldwide. ChinaAid founder Bob Fu hailed the release as a “tremendous victory” while reminding the global community that the fight for religious liberty in China continues.

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several members of Congress, signed joint letters urging the Chinese government to free all detained believers. The Inter‑Parliamentary Alliance on China, representing lawmakers from the United Kingdom, the United States, and other nations, declared the news “overjoyed,” underscoring the broader diplomatic significance of the case.

While Jin’s freedom signals a hopeful shift, the broader situation for underground churches remains precarious. The Chinese Communist Party maintains strict control over religious practice, mandating registration and surveillance of all places of worship. Nevertheless, the release of Pastor Jin serves as a powerful reminder that coordinated international advocacy, coupled with high‑level diplomatic engagement, can produce tangible results for religious freedom.