Underground. Under pressure. Meet Jinyi’s secret house church in China 

Jinyi’s house church in China was raided and her husband was imprisoned. In China and other countries, the authorities are cracking down on underground churches – they need our support today.

Imagine you are meeting in a house church with more than 100 people. You’re all crowded into a room together. Most of the people are young, attending a local college, and all are keen to learn more about Jesus and worship Him together. Bibles lie open around the room. There are joyful faces surrounding you. You are in the middle of a familiar hymn – and then the door suddenly slams open. 

This isn’t a normal house church. There’s a reason that the windows are closed and the floor-to-ceiling curtains are drawn. The church worships in the dark, in secret, because it is not allowed to exist. And now you’ve been discovered by the police. 

“Everything fell apart” 

Jinyi* vividly remembers the terrifying day that this happened to her. She and her husband, Zhang*, had planted a church in central China a couple of years earlier, and the numbers steadily grew as more and more young people joined the church. But leading the church was always dangerous. Jinyi and Zhang knew this day could come. Because their church was illegal. 

In China, Christians are only allowed to attend registered churches in the Three-Self Patriotic Movement or the Catholic Patriotic Association. In practice, these denominations are heavily monitored, with the Chinese authorities determining who can lead services, censoring what is preached and sometimes even filming the congregation. Many Christians start underground house churches, so they can preach the gospel and learn about Jesus without the Chinese Communist Party intervening. Sometimes the house churches are left alone. But, increasingly, they are targeted by the authorities. 

Sometimes that means being invited for ‘tea’ – a seemingly innocuous message, which in reality comes with the threat of interrogation and a warning that the church leaders are being closely watched. Sometimes there is no warning at all. 

“Everything fell apart quicky,” Jinyi remembers. The church was immediately shut down and the police detained the assembled believers. Most of those arrested were released after 24 hours, but some were kept for a full week. Zhang was singled out. As often happens with raids, the church leader bears the brunt of the punishment. He was fined 60,000 renminbi (£6,500, about six months’ average salary in China) and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. 

“Kill the chicken to scare the monkey” 

Since 2018, when religious regulations in China started to be enforced more tightly, such raids are an increasing danger. “Raids, forced entries, mandatory ID registrations and arrests have become common tactics,” explains Le Xin*, China expert. “By shutting down or penalising a few prominent churches, authorities send a warning to others – a strategy often described by the Chinese proverb, ‘Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.’” These threats have driven the church even further underground. 

Sadly, the warnings can work. Jinyi found that, when her church was targeted, other churches were too fearful to offer support. They knew they might be implicated by association. “With surveillance everywhere, even a visit or a message to me can bring danger,” she explains. Jinyi understood their reasoning, but it was still hard to experience. “In my heart, I felt betrayed, hurt, disappointed,” she says. “I felt isolated. I was struggling with my faith and found myself sinking into silence.” 

New hope 

In the midst of this isolation, Open Doors local partners stepped in to support and spend time with Jinyi. When you feel targeted and isolated, knowing that somebody cares for you and makes the journey to be with you is crucial. Open Doors partners see time and again the transformative power of simply being present with those who are persecuted. They began to see this transformation in Jinyi. 

“I began to think about the young adults who once attended our gatherings,” she says, “how these young people, driven by fear, were scattered like lost sheep without a shepherd.” Jinyi became a Christian at university, and has long had a passion for seeing young people encounter Jesus. She and Zhang served in student ministry for years, and Jinyi knew that this was her purpose. Buoyed by continuing fellowship with Open Doors partners, and despite the significant risks, Jinyi determined to be there for those whom God had entrusted to her and her husband.  

“The calling I once received from God came alive again,” she says. “I knew I must help these young people stand firm in the Lord once again.” 

Over meals, Jinyi met one-on-one with several young people to encourage them. Inspired by Jinyi’s faith, several of those young people stepped up to lead small groups, eventually followed by youth gatherings held in different homes. The house church ministry has begun, once more, to flourish. There are now ten underground small groups with a total of more than 70 young people who are growing in faith and extraordinary courage. They look to Jinyi as their guide. 

“During two years of accompanying Jinyi with our presence, prayer and support, we have witnessed her life being rebuilt and renewed,” says a local Open Doors partner. “Behind her, the faith of many others is being reignited.” 

“He has not forgotten me” 

Open Doors partners continue to spend time with Jinyi, and she is clear that these visits are crucial in her ministry. “Thank you for your prayers,” she says. “There have been countless moments when I wanted to give up. I felt like I really couldn’t carry the burden of leading these young people, but God’s calling was always there, and He upheld me. Your visits help me realise that the Lord has not forgotten me. He still loves me. He must have a good purpose for my husband and me.” 

Jinyi asks: “Please pray for us. Our youth gatherings must remain underground. Our youth are young, both in age and understanding of the truth. People are still overshadowed by persecution and remain fearful of gatherings.  

“As a leader and the eldest, I too feel isolated and in need of support as others avoid us out of fear,” she shares. “I am deeply grateful for your support and encouragement, which have made me feel less alone and less afraid.” 

Help the underground church stand firm 

Through discipleship and leadership training tailored to their specific needs, Open Doors is walking with church leaders in China and in other countries where the church must meet underground. These believers are under constant pressure as they face the threat of being watched, exposed and persecuted. With your prayers and gifts, Open Doors partners can keep providing training and keep making the encouraging visits to underground Christians that are so vital. Without them, courageous leaders like Jinyi feel isolated and disconnected from the body of Christ.  

The dangers they face are stark and real. In addition to surveillance and church raids, the Chinese government continues to introduce legislation to stunt the growth of the gospel and the future of the church. In 2018, China passed legislation banning anyone under 18 from affiliating with any religion and its activities – in some regions, this is being strictly enforced. 

The mere act of gathering for worship and Bible study can be treacherous for the students in Jinyi and Zhang’s ministry. In addition to the risk of police raids, students can be denied access to graduate programmes and applications for government positions. Simply going to church can determine their whole future. 

As China continues to crack down even further on the church, and other countries follow the same threatening pattern, more believers will be forced underground now and in the coming years. Your support is needed now more than ever. Today, will you help the secret church stand firm?

*Names changed for security reasons