Beijing house church pastor arrested amidst religious crackdown

Pastor Xianfeng Edward Cui, founder of Beijing Jiaquan Church, was detained on October 23 on fraud charges. His wife, Jin Young Gu, who resides outside of China, confirmed the arrest.

Cui was initially detained on September 4 during a raid involving approximately 100 police officers. Gu stated that the fraud allegations stem from offerings made by church members, a common tactic used against unregistered religious organizations.

Requests for comment from Beijing’s Shijingshan district police and the Chinese Foreign Ministry have gone unanswered.

The arrest is part of a broader campaign by Chinese President Xi Jinping to exert greater control over religious practices and ensure adherence to Communist Party regulations.

In October 2025, authorities arrested 30 leaders of Zion Church, a prominent underground church network, following raids across multiple cities. The founder of Zion Church, Jin Mingri, was later released in July after a personal intervention by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Beijing Jiaquan Church, established in 2006, expanded as an independent congregation. By 2019, authorities had closed the church’s Beijing worship facility, forcing members to gather in smaller, dispersed groups. In 2023, officials disrupted a Sunday class to warn Cui and Gu about the church’s size, instructing him to limit his leadership to a congregation of fewer than 100 people.

Jin Young Gu, a Korean national, has been denied a visa since 2023, preventing her from returning to China to be with her family.