Chinese authorities have arrested the pastor of a prominent independent Protestant church in Beijing on fraud allegations, while seven fellow Christians have been released on bail following a large-scale police raid, church representatives and rights advocates confirmed.
Pastor Cui Xianfeng, also known as Edward Cui, and Zhou Zixun were formally arrested on October 23 after being detained during a September 4 police operation involving more than 100 officers, according to his wife and the Christian rights organization ChinaAid.
Cui remains at Beijing’s Shijingshan District Detention Center, but seven church workers detained in connection with the operation have been released on bail, ChinaAid said in a statement reviewed by Worthy News.
His wife, South Korean national Jin Young Gu, also known as Cui Jinrong or Choi Jinyoung, told The Associated Press (AP) that the fraud allegations concerned donations from members of Beijing Jiaquan Church.
She suggested the charges were connected to the congregation’s refusal to register under China’s government-controlled Protestant religious system. Chinese authorities have not publicly disclosed evidence supporting the accusations.
The confrontation reportedly began on September 4 when about 50 church members were preparing a Beijing hotel conference room for the congregation’s 20th anniversary celebration, and more than 100 officers surrounded the venue.
Seven Christians were detained there and Cui elsewhere. Two were initially released, but police subsequently detained two other church leaders, leaving eight people in custody before seven were eventually freed on bail, Christians said.
Founded in 2006, Jiaquan Church has grown into an independent network serving more than 1,000 believers in several parts of China, according to ChinaAid.
Authorities closed its main Beijing worship facility in 2019, forcing members to gather in smaller groups at different locations, Cui’s wife said.
In 2023, officials interrupted a Sunday church class to warn the couple that their congregation had become too large, Worthy News learned.
PASTOR WARNS OF CHURCH PRESSURE
“They told him that he should lead only one church with fewer than 100 people,” Gu said.
“This was a direct warning from the authorities concerning the size and organization of our church,” she added.
However, Gu stressed that Jiaquan would remain independent, guided by biblical teachings and historical Christian traditions, and had no political ambitions.
Pastor Cui reportedly sent a message from detention urging believers to “hold fast to their faith and never lose hope,” according to ChinaAid.
His wife requested prayers for his health and the seven released coworkers, whom she said had suffered physical and psychological trauma during police interrogation.
Gu also reported continued police questioning of other church members, while lawyers were preparing legal proceedings seeking Cui’s release and the eventual acquittal of all eight Christians.
This isn’t the first crisis facing the couple who married in 1997 and studied at Biola University in California before returning to Beijing in late 2005 and establishing Jiaquan Church the following year.
Gu said Chinese authorities had denied her a visa to return to China since 2023, leaving her separated from her husband for about three years.
Police in Beijing’s Shijingshan district did not respond to requests for comment, while China’s Foreign Ministry did not answer questions about the case.
Cui’s arrest follows a sweeping crackdown on Zion Church, another major independent Protestant network, whose leaders were detained during coordinated police raids across several Chinese cities in October 2025, sources said.
CHINA CRACKDOWN ON HOUSE CHURCHES
About 30 Zion Church leaders and members were reportedly detained, including founder Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who was released in July 2026 after U.S. President Donald J. Trump raised his detention with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a May visit to Beijing.
Under Xi, China’s Communist Party has intensified efforts to bring churches and other religious communities under government supervision through its policy of “sinicization”, requiring faith groups to align with state priorities and Communist Party ideology.
Although China’s constitution formally recognizes freedom of religious belief, independent Protestant congregations face restrictions when operating outside the government-approved church system, Worthy News established. Numerous house churches reject registration, fearing political interference in their leadership, biblical teaching, and worship.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its 2026 annual report that China continued committing particularly “severe violations” of religious freedom, including restrictions on independent church activities.
Chinese authorities have denied wrongdoing, saying churches must comply with national laws. However, Christian rights advocates argue that pastors increasingly face criminal prosecution over activities their congregations regard as legitimate expressions of faith.
Cui’s family and fellow believers suggest that his continued detention highlights the challenges facing Christians seeking to worship independently of China’s Communist Party-controlled religious institutions.