By Paul Joseph
Chinese underground church leader Jin Mingri, founder of the influential Zion Church, has been released from prison and has arrived in the United States, ending months of detention that drew widespread international attention.
Jin, also known as Ezra Jin, was arrested during coordinated overnight raids across China in October 2025, in what Christian organisations described as one of the country’s most extensive crackdowns on unregistered religious groups in recent years.
His family confirmed his release in a statement, expressing gratitude to supporters and describing the development as “a miracle.” They also thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration for raising the pastor’s case with Chinese authorities, while acknowledging the role of Chinese President Xi Jinping in securing his freedom.
The family said they hoped Jin’s release would mark a positive step for religious freedom in China and help improve relations between Beijing and Washington.
US-based religious freedom advocacy group ChinaAid confirmed that Jin had arrived safely in Los Angeles. However, the organisation noted that several members of the Zion Church and many other religious practitioners remain imprisoned across China.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a coalition of lawmakers from several Western countries, also welcomed the pastor’s release, describing the news as encouraging.
Trump had publicly disclosed after a state visit to Beijing in May that he personally urged Xi to consider freeing Jin. During the same discussions, the US president also raised the case of Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence under the city’s national security law.
Jin established the Zion Church in 2007 with about 20 worshippers. Over the years, it grew into one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant churches, reportedly serving around 10,000 members across 40 cities.
Chinese authorities banned the church in 2018 after it refused government demands to install surveillance cameras inside its Beijing premises.
Since then, many of its affiliated congregations have been shut down as authorities intensified restrictions on unregistered religious activities.
China officially recognises only state-approved religious organisations, while unregistered churches and other independent faith groups have faced increasing scrutiny and periodic crackdowns.
In October 2025, authorities reportedly detained around 30 church leaders during coordinated raids, followed by another operation against a separate church in January that resulted in several more arrests.
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