Mainland China

China has detained a key official of an umbrella group of house churches, as it escalates its crackdown on “unauthorized” worship in the country.

Advocacy group the China Aid Association (CAA) has reported on June 2, that Pastor Shi Enhao, who holds the position as deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA), has been “administratively detained”. They report that he will be held for 12-days at the Suqian city detention center in the Jiangsu province.

“Administrative detention” is the term the Chinese government uses to explain the arrest and detention of individuals without a trial. Officials can use the power if “security reasons” call for such action. more >>

House churches in China are employing new methods to push the government to peacefully resolve tensions between the Communist Party and the largest unregistered church in Beijing.

Despite the pressure traditionally put on unregistered "house churches," clergy from dozens of these churches are petitioning China's legislature to guarantee the religious freedom of Shouwang Church. Many of the church's members were arrested last month while trying to hold worship services outside.

The petition is the first of its kind in 60 years of communist rule of China, states persecution watchdog China Aid Association. Autumn Rain Church, a signatory church located in Chengdu, said of the petition in a Sunday newsletter, "Starting tomorrow, May 9, the church will pray and fast for three days for this first peaceful petition by Chinese house churches in 60 years." more >>

Despite appeals from religious freedom groups, Chinese authorities continued their crackdown on a prominent house church, stopping hundreds of Christians from holding Easter services outdoors on Sunday.

Dozens from the 1,000-member Shouwang Church, one of Beijing's largest unregistered Protestant churches, were detained while at least 500 were confined to their homes, according to China Aid Association.

"We are deeply disappointed that the Chinese authorities chose to disrupt peaceful worshippers who were simply celebrating Easter today," said China Aid founder and president Pastor Bob Fu in a statement Sunday. more >>

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is urging China not to detain Christian members of unregistered "house churches" who plan to worship outdoors this Easter. But the agency doubts China's communist party will heed the word of caution until the administration can convince it to embrace human rights.

USCIRF Chair Leonard Leo chided government officials on Wednesday for their "ruthless intolerance" towards the unregistered Shouwang Church's public prayer services. He also urged Chinese officials to take a more peaceful tact with house church members on Easter Sunday.

"Beijing's action further alienates the fast-growing number of religious believers in China, particularly during Easter, the most sacred week in Christianity," said Leo in a statement. more >>

Police arrested the senior pastor of one of the largest unregistered churches in Beijing on Saturday and have put many congregants under house arrest for trying to hold Sunday service outdoors, said a rights group focused on religious freedom in China.

Senior Pastor Jin Tianming, who founded the 1,000-member Shouwang Church in the 1990s, was detained yesterday after his church intended again to attempt to hold worship service outdoors, according to Texas-based China Aid Association.

Last week, hundreds of church members were arrested and then released when they tried to hold service at an open-air venue. more >>

A large, unregistered church in Beijing says it plans to continue holding outdoor Sunday services despite mass arrests of its congregants over the weekend during an open-air gathering.

Shouwang Church, which has about 1,000 members, reasserted that it has no political motives in holding its outdoor services. Rather, it has no choice but to do so because it was evicted from the restaurant it was meeting in and the government has allegedly interfered and prevented the congregation from securing a permanent location.

“The church’s position remains unchanged. We will continue to gather outdoors until the Lord shows us the way,” said a statement from Shouwang’s governing committee, BBC reported on Tuesday. more >>