Chinese authorities have formally arrested 18 leaders from a prominent underground church, setting the stage for their prosecution and potential imprisonment for up to three years. This move marks a significant development in what is being described as the most extensive crackdown on Christianity in China in seven years.

According to a report from Reuters, which drew on information from a Christian NGO advocate, nearly 30 pastors and staff members from Zion Church were apprehended by police in mid-October.

The Christian human rights organization, ChinaAid, issued a statement claiming that these arrests were based on “politically motivated charges.” The organization expressed concern over the treatment of these church leaders, stating, “These pastors and co-workers are being treated as criminals simply because they faithfully shepherded a large, legally unregistered church that refused to submit to CCP control and surveillance.”

The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of religious freedom in China, where unregistered churches are often targeted due to their independence from government oversight.

This incident has also highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by religious groups in China, as authorities continue to exercise strict control over religious practices within the country.

Dr. Bob Fu, the founder and president of the organization, called the arrests of the pastors and staff members a “chilling milestone in the CCP’s all-out war on Christianity in China.”

“Their only ‘crime’ is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shepherding God’s flock, and refusing to turn Christ’s church into a propaganda tool of the Communist Party,” he added. “By turning pastors into political prisoners, the CCP is not only persecuting these individuals and their families—it is sending a warning to every independent church in China: submit to Party control or face destruction.”

Jin Mingri, head pastor of the Zion Church, poses in Beijing on Sept. 12, 2018, days after officials shut down one of China’s largest underground Protestant churches. (Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the detentions of the Zion Church members in October and asked the Chinese government to release them. 

Open Doors, an international organization that supports persecuted believers, estimates there are more than 96 million Christians in China.