House Church Pastors Arrested for ''Illegal'' Religious Meeting

12 December 2007

_{A house church meeting
Photo from}_{China Aid}

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on December 7, Chinese police arrested 270 house church pastors gathered for a Bible study meeting in Linyi, Shandong, according to a December 10 report from China Aid Association. The police, who claimed that the pastors were attending an "illegal religious meeting," handcuffed the pastors two-by-two and took them to the local police station for questioning. At last report, at least 120 pastors remained in custody.

Pray that these believers will be able to rejoice in knowing that it is a privilege to suffer for Christ's sake (1 Peter 2:20-21). Pray for the release of those still imprisoned. Ask God to enable Chinese Christians to boldly serve Him, despite ongoing opposition to their faith.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China, click here.

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.