Faith and the Party: Freedom and State Power in China Today

On Wednesday, November 11th, the Asia Policy Program, the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center will host Pastor Ezra Jin, founder and senior pastor of China’s Zion Church, for a discussion on how religious communities in China are navigating severe pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, and its meaning for the United States.

Under Pastor Jin’s leadership, Zion Church grew into one of the largest and most influential unregistered Protestant congregations in China. In October 2025, Chinese authorities detained Pastor Jin and nearly 30 leaders of his church in a series of coordinated nationwide raids. He was held for 266 days and released in July 2026 after President Donald Trump raised his case directly with President Xi Jinping. His story has been covered widely across the Wall Street Journal, Free Press, Washington Post, and New York Times, as well as PBS NewsHour, Fox News, CNN, and beyond.

Please RSVP here.

Jin Mingri (金明日), also known as Ezra Jin, is the founding and senior pastor of Zion Church, an independent Christian congregation in China. Born in Heilongjiang, he earned a B.A. from Beijing University, an M.Div. from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Jin began attending a Three-Self Patriotic Movement church and soon became a pastor there. In 2002, convinced that the state church was a church in captivity, he left to study in the U.S. and returned in 2007 to establish Zion Church. By 2018, Zion Church in Beijing had grown into one of the city’s largest congregations, with a weekly attendance of 1,500.

In September 2018, authorities shut down the church and placed Jin under a travel ban after church leaders refused to install facial recognition cameras in the sanctuary. Despite this, Zion continued to grow through a hybrid online-offline model, expanding its reach across the country to more than 10,000 attendees across 100 locations in over 40 cities. In October 2025, Chinese authorities detained Jin along with nearly 30 other Zion Church members. Following sustained diplomatic pressure, he was released and sent to the United States on July 3, 2026, where he was reunited with his family. Eight Zion Church leaders remain detained in Beihai, Guangxi Province.

Lunch will be served. Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage, the Brazos Garage, and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.