China Frees Underground Church Pastor Ezra Jin Following International Pressure

China Frees Underground Church Pastor Ezra Jin Following International Pressure

Chinese underground church pastor Ezra Jin has been released from detention in China and reunited with his family in the United States, ending months of uncertainty over the fate of one of the country’s most prominent Christian leaders.

Jin arrived in Los Angeles, where he was welcomed by his family after his release.

His freedom came just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed that he had personally raised the pastor’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing.

In a statement, Jin’s family expressed gratitude for the efforts that led to his release, saying they believe the breakthrough would not have been possible without high-level diplomatic engagement.

They also voiced hope that the development could signal greater religious freedom for people of faith in China.

The 56-year-old pastor was arrested in October 2025 along with 17 leaders of Beijing’s Zion Church, one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant congregations.

The arrests formed part of a broad crackdown on underground churches as authorities intensified restrictions on religious groups operating outside state-approved organizations.

Although Jin has regained his freedom, human rights advocates say several members of Zion Church remain in detention and continue to urge Chinese authorities to release those still being held.

Jin’s case attracted global attention after the U.S. government repeatedly called for his immediate release.

The State Department condemned his detention, noting that his wife and three children are American citizens.

A former participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, Jin later studied at Fuller Theological Seminary before founding Zion Church in 2007.

Even after officials shut down the church’s Beijing worship centre in 2018, the congregation continued meeting online, drawing thousands of worshippers.

Earlier this year, Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, told the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington that she feared she might never see her father again.

She said he had missed her wedding and had never met his grandchildren after choosing to return to China despite mounting pressure on underground Christian communities.

His release is being welcomed by religious freedom advocates as a significant breakthrough, though campaigners insist the struggle is not over while other members of the congregation remain behind bars.