China detains two leaders of a key underground church

Mon Jun 15 2026 13:44:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Police raided Early Rain Covenant Church in Jiangyou, detaining senior pastors and rounding up dozens of members amid heightened religious crackdowns.

In a dramatic raid that unfolded mid‑Sunday service, Chinese authorities surrounded Early Rain Covenant Church in Jiangyou, detaining senior pastors Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing and forcibly taking more than 30 members for interrogation. The church, founded in 2008, has long been on the Communist Party’s radar, and its leaders have faced earlier arrests for alleged subversion. Images from the raid show police, including SWAT units, surrounding churchgoers in a ballroom, while congregants were forced to sign unattributed affidavits. The group claims their members sang hymns and prayed until most were released by the evening. The incident underscores the tightening grip on underground Christianity in China, amid reports that the state has intensified surveillance and arrests of “house churches” this year.

China detains two leaders of a key underground church

Police stormed the Early Rain Covenant Church in Jiangyou, southwest China, around 11 a.m. on Sunday, arresting senior pastors Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing while taking dozens of congregants — including children — for interrogation.

The church, which began in 2008 in Chengdu, has repeatedly been targeted by the Communist Party because of its independent faith practice. Its founding pastor, Wang Yi, was jailed in 2018 on charges of inciting subversion and “illegal business operations.”

A statement from the church, posted on Telegram, says at least 50 police officers, many from SWAT, surrounded members seated in a hotel ballroom. The police attempted to have them sign a confidential affidavit, which the congregation declined. The forces then transported the detained to Jiangyou detention center, where they were questioned until the evening.

Images released by the church show armed officers in tactical gear, congregants in chairs, and a plain‑clothed officer repeatedly shouting “stop” to singers. At least 30 members were taken away in several police vehicles and later released between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. The remaining members, including elderly and children, were locked in the ballroom during the raid’s duration.

The raid is the latest in a series of crackdowns on “house churches” in China. In October last year, 30 leaders of Zion Church, another large underground group, were seized across seven cities, with its founder Ezra Jin still in custody.

“The raid is another stark reminder that the Chinese Communist Party treats peaceful Christian worship as a threat to state control,” said Bob Fu, founder of non‑profit ChinaAid, which tracks religious persecution.

Chinese officials have not responded to the church’s claims, and the legal grounds for detaining Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing remain unclear. Meanwhile, the state continues to pressure Christians to join state‑sanctioned churches, part of its broader strategy to monitor religious activity.

Photos of the raid circulated online show police at a ballroom, with congregants in white robes lined up, and a plain‑clothed officer shouting over hymns. The dramatic episode highlights the ongoing tensions between religious communities and the Chinese government.

Sources: BBC News, Early Rain Covenant Church statements and Telegram posts