China Intensifies Religious Crackdown as Prominent Church Leaders Arrested, Building Demolished

Religious freedom in China faces its gravest threat in years as authorities escalate their campaign against independent Christian churches, arresting prominent leaders and physically tearing down worship spaces.

An influential Protestant congregation, the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, announced on Tuesday that police had raided homes and detained nine prominent leaders, including current church head Li Yingqiang and his wife Zhang Xinyue. Meanwhile, over 1,000 miles away in Wenzhou, authorities deployed bulldozers and cranes to begin demolishing the Yayang Church building, marking a dramatic escalation in Beijing's efforts to control religious expression.

The Tuesday arrests followed a coordinated police operation targeting Early Rain Covenant Church leadership. By Wednesday, five detainees had been released, but four remain in custody, including Li and his wife.

The church described the raids as a "concerted operation" but said authorities have not clarified the grounds for arrest or whether formal charges have been filed. Church officials also reported losing contact with two additional members, though they stopped short of confirming those individuals had been detained.

"The situation is ongoing, with specific details yet to be fully confirmed," the church stated, asking supporters to pray for detained members' safety and spiritual strength.

Just weeks before his arrest, Li had warned congregation members about what he called "the imminent prospect of another large-scale crackdown." In a November letter, he wrote about sensing "a storm gathering" and urged church members to prepare themselves spiritually and mentally.

Video footage obtained by ChinaAid, a non-profit organization monitoring religious persecution in China, shows heavy machinery systematically dismantling portions of the Yayang Church building in Wenzhou.

According to multiple sources cited by ChinaAid, hundreds of armed and special police officers have been deployed around the church to prevent interference with the demolition. Residents have reportedly been "driven away" from the area, while workers in nearby businesses received instructions not to photograph or record the operation.

Wenzhou, sometimes called "the Jerusalem of China," hosts more Christians than any other Chinese city. The targeting of Yayang Church carries symbolic weight given the city's significance to Chinese Christianity.

Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, interpreted the simultaneous actions against multiple churches as evidence of the central government's determination. "The massive mobilization against the two major independent church networks shows the central government is determined to stamp out Christian churches entirely, unless the church is totally indoctrinated into the party's ideology," he stated.

The latest arrests and demolitions represent just the newest chapter in an intensifying crackdown on underground churches—congregations that refuse to submit to government control and Communist Party oversight.

In December, authorities arrested approximately 100 members of Yayang Church over five days, with at least 24 members remaining in custody according to Human Rights Watch. October 2025 saw the roundup of 30 leaders from Zion Church, one of China's largest independent congregations, across seven cities. Founder Ezra Jin remains detained.

Early Rain Covenant Church itself has endured years of government pressure. Founded in 2008, the church faced its most severe persecution in 2018 when authorities arrested founding pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong, along with at least 100 church members in what became one of China's largest religious crackdowns in a decade.

Wang, an outspoken critic of Communist Party religious policies, received a prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" and "illegal business operations." He remains incarcerated with a scheduled release date of 2027. Despite government efforts to shut it down, the church continues gathering online and occasionally broadcasts Wang's recorded sermons to members.

Christian groups report that Chinese authorities have shifted their enforcement approach, moving more quickly to arrest unauthorized church leaders rather than following previous patterns of warnings followed by fines before detention.

At least two church leaders confirmed to the BBC that arrests now happen swiftly, without the graduated response that previously gave congregations time to negotiate or relocate operations.

China officially promotes atheism and exercises tight control over religious practice. Government statistics from 2018 claimed 44 million Christians in the country, though this figure likely excludes the many believers attending underground churches outside official registration systems.

The Communist Party has long pressured Christians to join only state-sanctioned churches led by government-approved pastors. Under President Xi Jinping, this control has intensified significantly.

Since 2015, Xi has promoted the "Sinicisation of religions," requiring religious doctrines and practices to conform with Chinese culture and Communist Party values. Last year, authorities banned clergy of all religions from preaching live on social media, organizing online children's activities, or raising funds online unless done through government-approved platforms.

Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, connected the crackdown to broader patterns of ideological control under Xi's leadership. "Xi Jinping's government has tightened ideological control and intensified its intolerance of loyalties beyond the Chinese Communist Party," Uluyol observed.

He called on concerned governments and religious leaders worldwide to pressure Beijing to release detained religious adherents and respect religious freedom.

The BBC contacted China's embassy in the UK for comment but has not received a response. Chinese authorities have made no public statements about the arrests or the Wenzhou demolition.

The intensifying crackdown in China carries implications far beyond its borders. As the world's most populous nation and second-largest economy, China's approach to religious freedom influences global human rights norms and provides cover for authoritarian governments elsewhere.

For Ghana and other African nations with significant Christian populations and growing economic ties to China, Beijing's religious policies raise questions about the compatibility of closer bilateral relationships with commitments to religious liberty and human rights.

The situation also highlights tensions between economic development partnerships and fundamental freedoms, a balance many developing nations navigate in their relationships with major powers.

The coordinated nature of recent actions against multiple prominent underground churches suggests this crackdown represents deliberate policy rather than isolated local decisions. Christian groups anticipate continued pressure on independent congregations that refuse to submit to government control.

For the thousands of Chinese Christians who reject state-controlled worship, the choice becomes increasingly stark: abandon independent faith communities, face arrest and persecution, or worship in secret at great personal risk.

As Li Yingqiang wrote before his arrest, the storm he sensed gathering has indeed arrived. How long it lasts and how many more church leaders end up in detention remains to be seen, but the trajectory is clear—Beijing intends to eliminate religious expression beyond party control. DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only. Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Source News Ghana. Report errors: markossourcegroup@gmail.com