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Leaders of a prominent underground church have been detained in south-west China<\/a>, according to a church statement, the latest blow in what appears to be a sweeping crackdown on unregistered Christian groups in the country.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Li Yingqiang, the leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was taken by police from his home in Deyang, a small city in Sichuan province, according to the statement. Li\u2019s wife, Zhang Xinyue, has also been detained, along with two other church members: Dai Zhichao, a pastor; and Ye Fenghua, a lay member. At least a further four members were taken and later released, while some others remain out of contact.<\/p>\n The crackdown followed the arrest of 18 senior members of Zion Church, another prominent underground church, in a nationwide sweep<\/a> in October. In December, there were also reports of approximately 100 members of another unofficial church in Zhejiang province being detained after protests against the demolition of a church, according to Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n Yalkun Uluyol, the China researcher at the rights NGO, said: \u201cThe recent detention of Early Rain members appears to be part of the Chinese government\u2019s blatant attack on house churches in China. As Beijing tightens its ideological control, unofficial churches are seen as \u2018disobedient\u2019 to the Communist party ideology and, therefore, pay a heavy price.\u201d<\/p>\n One Early Rain member was summoned on charges of \u201cpicking quarrels and provoking trouble\u201d, a catch-all offence used to target anyone the government considers to be a troublemaker. It is not clear whether the people who remain in detention have been formally charged. The public security bureaus in Deyang and Chengdu, Sichuan\u2019s capital, declined to comment.<\/p>\n Early Rain members were not available to be interviewed, but in a statement the church called on members \u201cto hold fast to the faith, to love one another, and to remain united amid persecution\u201d.<\/p>\n The US Congress select committee on China said in a post on X that Early Rain was targeted because it refused\u201d \u201cto bow\u201d to the Chinese Communist party (CCP).<\/p>\n Early Rain is one of China\u2019s most well-known unofficial \u201chouse churches\u201d \u2013 so-called because worshippers meet in private gatherings rather than in state-sanctioned venues. The church\u2019s founder, Wang Yi, a prominent legal scholar and human rights activist, was jailed for nine years in 2019 for inciting subversion of state power<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although the CCP promotes atheism, China\u2019s constitution guarantees religious freedom and the government formally recognises five religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Taoism and Buddhism.<\/p>\n But under the rule of President Xi Jinping, the space for religious freedom has been squeezed, with fears that any kind of religious activity outside of state-sanctioned venues is being snuffed out.<\/p>\n The last big crackdown on unofficial churches was in 2018. That year, Wang, was arrested along with about 100 other members of Early Rain. Zion\u2019s physical premises in Beijing was forced to close down. The two churches moved to online sermons and continued to gather in small, private meetings.<\/p>\n Early Rain members have had to be \u201cmuch more clandestine about their meetings and much more creative over the last seven years\u201d,\u201d said Corey Jackson, a former missionary in China and the founder of the Luke Alliance, a non-profit organisation that advocates for Chinese Christians. Jackson said pastors were warned by police last year that there would be no leeway for unlicensed churches in 2026.<\/p>\n In September, China introduced new rules banning unlicensed religious groups from holding online sermons. Xi chaired a meeting of senior CCP members during which he urged for the \u201csinicization of religions\u201d. Christians have reported months of increasing pressure and interrogations from the authorities.<\/p>\n