Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, one of China’s most visible underground Christian congregations, was released from detention and arrived in the United States on Friday evening. His release followed a sweeping crackdown on Christian groups that resulted in the detention of numerous church members in October.
Jin’s family attributed his release to divine intervention and expressed gratitude to the Trump administration for its involvement. The release represents an uncommon instance of China freeing one of its own citizens in apparent response to United States diplomatic pressure. A similar case occurred in 2024 when David Lin, an American pastor of Chinese heritage, was freed after 20 years in prison following efforts by the State Department.
The case gained prominence after being raised by President Trump during a visit to Beijing in May. Trump indicated that Chinese President Xi Jinping was “seriously considering” the release of imprisoned pastors while acknowledging slower progress on other detained individuals, including British citizen Jimmy Lai. Jin’s family, including his wife and children who reside in the United States, had made repeated appeals to American officials and directly to Trump. His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, testified before Congress in November, after which Trump pledged to raise the matter with Xi.
Jin established Zion Church in 2007 and became a prominent figure in China’s underground church movement. The church’s physical location in Beijing was forced to close in 2018, but the organization transitioned to online services that expanded its membership to thousands. In China, Christianity is permitted only in government-controlled churches, though other estimates suggest substantially larger unregistered Christian populations exist alongside the government’s official figures.
China intensified enforcement against house churches in recent years. While several Zion Church members remain detained, nine members had their cases transferred to prosecutors on charges of illegal business operations and fraud, while nine others were released on bail pending trial.
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