House Church Leaders Detained

05 September 2007

China Eight house church leaders were detained in late August, according to an August 24 report from China Aid Association.

One church leader was arrested and two others were injured during a raid of a house church during a worship service on August 19 in Jianhu, Jiangsu. This church was previously attacked in early July while hosting a children's Bible school program.

On August 21, seven church leaders were detained from a house church meeting in the village of Leizhiwa, Inner Mongolia. Four pastors from Liaoning province, Qin Tao (29), Wang Cong (34), Wang Shengjun (34), and Wang Youjun (47), and three Christian women leaders from Inner Mongolia were taken to the local Public Security Bureau office. At last report, all were still in detention.

Pray that these church leaders will be released. Pray that God will give them opportunities in prison to share the Gospel for which they suffer (Colossians 4:2-3). Pray that the Lord will continue to raise up church leaders to serve congregations whose pastors have been detained.

For more information on persecution in China, visit China's Country Report.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.