Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri Released After Detention in China

Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, a leader of an underground church in China, has been released from detention. His release comes less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing. The pastor reunited with his family in Los Angeles, following a troubling period when he and 17 others from the Zion Church were detained. Frances Hui from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation shared news of Jin’s arrival on social media.

The Zion Church leaders’ detention in October was one of the largest crackdowns on a single church in China in recent years. This raised international concern over the increasing restrictions on religious freedom in the country. Pastor Jin’s quick release suggests a possible positive shift for religious individuals in China and indicates an improvement in U.S.-China relations.

In May, President Trump addressed Jin’s situation with Xi Jinping during a state visit. Trump highlighted both Jin’s detentions and those of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai. Trump mentioned on his return flight that Xi said he would ‘strongly consider the pastor’s’ release, though acknowledged that resolving Lai’s case might be challenging.

At the age of 78, Jimmy Lai, a former clothing magnate and outspoken critic of Beijing through his Hong Kong tabloid, was handed a 20-year sentence in February. Activists hailed Jin’s release while also urging for the release of other church leaders still held in China. Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch emphasized that at least eight members of the Zion Church remain detained and called for their freedom.

The Zion Church is one of the largest underground churches in China, operating without official registration. These underground churches defy government requirements for worship to take place in registered congregations, challenging the Communist Party’s authority, which traditionally views organized religion as a threat to its power. Under Xi Jinping’s leadership, there has been a push to align religious practices with the party’s ideals.

Grace Jin Drexel, Pastor Jin’s daughter who resides in the United States, shared with a congressional committee in November about her father’s church’s mission to worship freely with God as its central authority. Although their family moved due to pressures on Zion Church in 2018, Pastor Jin chose to return to China, accepting the risks involved. His daughter remarked she had not seen her father for six years until his recent release.