DALLAS, Texas — Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church in China, told a gathering of religious-freedom advocates that more than 150 pastors and Christian leaders remain imprisoned in China.
Jin spoke September 28 at the 2026 Global Religious Freedom Gathering at Dallas Baptist University. The two-day gathering brought Christians and religious-freedom advocates together to discuss persecution and ways churches can support people facing restrictions because of their faith.
Jin, also known as Jin Mingri, was arrested in October 2025 during a coordinated crackdown on Zion Church that resulted in the detention of numerous church leaders and members.
According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Jin was held at the Beihai Detention Center and faced charges including illegally using information networks and illegal business activity. He was released in July 2026 after approximately nine months in detention.
Speaking in Dallas, Jin emphasized that attention should not focus only on his own release. He said more than 150 pastors and Christian leaders remain imprisoned in China and that he intends to continue speaking publicly about them so they are not forgotten.
Jin also described years of pressure experienced by Zion Church. He said authorities previously pressured landlords, interrupted gatherings and eventually closed the church's Beijing location after the congregation refused to install facial-recognition cameras inside the sanctuary.
His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, reported that nearly 30 Zion Church leaders were detained during coordinated raids across 11 cities in October 2025.
For Whole Bible believers, the report is a reminder to remember believers who face imprisonment and other restrictions because of their faith, and to continue praying for those who remain separated from their families and congregations.
Reference:
baptiststandard/news/texas/dbu-religious-freedom-gathering-sparks-urgency/
uscirf/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/jin-mingri
