Eight Zion Church Leaders Face Trial in China Despite Pastor Ezra Jin’s Release
Eight Zion Church Leaders Face Trial in China Despite Pastor Ezra Jin’s Release
BEIJING - Eight leaders associated with China’s Zion Church are due to stand trial this month, even after the sudden release of the church’s founder, Pastor Ezra Jin, who was freed and reunited with his family in the United States in July.
The eight Christian leaders are being held at the Beihai Detention Center in Guangxi and are expected to face charges relating to fraud and alleged illegal business operations.
According to information provided to defence lawyers, a pre-trial conference was scheduled for 10 August, with public hearings expected to take place between 14 and 18 August.
The cases stem from a nationwide crackdown on the Zion Church network that began in October 2025. Jin and numerous other pastors and church workers were detained as Chinese authorities intensified pressure on independent Protestant congregations operating outside the country's officially recognised religious system.
Charges against church leaders
Six of the defendants - Wang Lin, Gao Yingjia, Yin Huibin, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin and Lin Shucheng - have been accused of fraud. Prosecutors allege that they received approximately 10 million yuan, equivalent to around £1.1 million, in church offerings connected to what authorities describe as unauthorised religious activity.
Pastor Wang Lin, Elder Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu face separate allegations of conducting illegal business operations. Authorities reportedly accuse them of generating about 2 million yuan, or approximately £220,500, through the sale of religious courses without government approval.
The church leaders reject the allegations. Supporters argue that donations, pastoral support and theological education are ordinary aspects of Christian ministry and should not be treated as criminal activity.
China Aid, which has monitored the case, has also raised concerns about the circumstances in which evidence against the defendants was obtained.
Jin's unexpected release
The upcoming trials come only weeks after the unexpected release of Pastor Ezra Jin, the founder and leading pastor of Zion Church.
Jin had been detained since October 2025. His release in July came shortly after discussions between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which Jin's case was reportedly raised. Jin was subsequently reunited with his family in the United States.
Jin's case has attracted international attention because his release occurred without the trial that had been anticipated by his supporters. According to subsequent accounts, Chinese authorities dropped the charges against him and allowed him to leave the country.
However, the freedom of Zion Church's founder has not extended to the other leaders detained during the crackdown.
Concerns over timing
China Aid has accused Chinese authorities of moving the cases forward rapidly ahead of an anticipated meeting between Xi Jinping and Trump in Washington.
The organisation described the trials as a significant test of religious freedom, judicial independence and the wider relationship between Beijing and Washington.
Grace Jin Drexel, Pastor Jin's daughter, has also expressed concern about the continued detention of the other Zion Church leaders.
She argued that prosecuting the remaining church leaders undermines the goodwill that followed her father's release and called for their freedom.
US lawmakers have likewise urged Beijing to release the eight remaining Zion Church leaders and other Christians imprisoned in China.
Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the US House Select Committee on China, said that while Jin's release was welcome, religious freedom remained under pressure in China. He called for the remaining Zion Church leaders to be released and reunited with their families.
Wider crackdown on independent churches
Zion Church has become one of the best-known examples of China's independent Protestant house-church movement.
Founded by Jin in 2007, the church grew significantly before authorities shut down its Beijing premises in 2018. The congregation subsequently continued through smaller gatherings and online ministry.
The October 2025 arrests represented a major escalation in pressure on the network. Human rights organisations reported that dozens of Zion Church pastors and members were detained or disappeared during the nationwide operation.
With Jin now outside China but eight fellow church leaders still facing prosecution, Christian groups and religious-freedom advocates are watching the forthcoming hearings closely.
The trials could become a significant test of how Chinese authorities treat independent Christian activity and whether the release of Jin signals any broader change in Beijing's approach to unregistered churches.