New testimonies on Beijing Jiaquan Church raid: Pastor Zhou and seven co-workers criminally detained on 'fraud' charges, entire pastoral team removed

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According to an October 5 Bitter Winter report based on recently collected testimonies from church members, Beijing's Jiaquan Church had planned an anniversary celebration in early September; on the afternoon of September 4, some 50 believers were decorating a hotel conference room in Beijing when more than 100 police officers, including plainclothes auxiliaries, suddenly surrounded the room and blocked the exits. Most attendees were allowed to leave after registering their identity cards, home addresses and phone numbers; seven co-workers were taken away on the spot. Pastor Zhou, who was outside visiting believers, was summoned to a police station by state security officers and did not return home; church sources later confirmed he was under detention. In the following days two of the detained co-workers were released, but two other church workers were arrested on suspicion of 'fraud' and transferred to a detention center. Pastor Zhou and seven co-workers are now all under criminal detention on the same charge — the entire pastoral team removed at once. ChinaAid reported on September 21 that it had received first-hand reports of multiple Jiaquan pastors and co-workers being detained and was working to confirm the number taken, locations and specific charges.

Why it matters

If the testimonies hold, this is another influential urban house-church network in Beijing hit as an institution since the October 2025 Zion Church crackdown: the entire pastoral team criminally detained, on the economic charge of 'fraud' rather than a religious allegation — consistent with the familiar pattern of recasting church offerings as 'fraud' or 'illegal fundraising'. The testimonies all come from church members' one-sided accounts; police and official channels have published nothing; the specific facts and evidence behind the 'fraud' charges cannot be examined. This site has not independently verified the claims — hence the 'under ongoing verification' grading.

Full report

According to the October 5 Bitter Winter report (by Zeng Liqin), recently collected testimonies reconstruct the scale of the September 4 raid: Jiaquan Church had planned an anniversary celebration for early September; on the afternoon of September 4, around fifty believers were in a hotel conference room in Beijing arranging the space for the next day's event, in what they describe as a peaceful atmosphere, until large numbers of police suddenly appeared. Several accounts say more than one hundred officers, including plainclothes auxiliaries, surrounded the room and blocked the exits. Most attendees were required to present identity cards and provide home addresses and telephone numbers before being allowed to leave; seven co-workers were taken away on the spot. Around the same time, state security officers summoned Pastor Zhou, who was outside visiting believers, to a police station; church sources say he did not return home that night and was later confirmed to be under detention. [1]

In the following days the situation escalated: two of the initially detained co-workers were released, but two other church workers were then arrested and transferred to a detention center on suspicion of 'fraud'. Pastor Zhou and seven co-workers are now all held under criminal detention on the same charge. For the community this is a collective blow: the entire pastoral team has been removed at once. [1]

The report notes the 'fraud' accusation is familiar to observers of religious freedom in China: house-church and independent Christian community leaders have often been prosecuted on economic charges, including alleged misuse of offerings or 'illegal fundraising'; in many cases believers insist donations were voluntary and transparent, and view the criminal label as a justification for repressing religious activity outside state-controlled structures. [1]

ChinaAid reported on September 21 that it had received first-hand reports of multiple Jiaquan Church pastors and co-workers being detained, but said at the time it was working to confirm details such as the number taken, locations and specific charges. ChinaAid describes Jiaquan as having ministered in Beijing for more than two decades with over 1,000 believers, influential among younger urban Christians, and operating the Noah Music School that trains musicians and worship leaders for house churches. [2]

Verification note: this record documents the verifiable public act — Bitter Winter publishing member testimonies on the Jiaquan raid and the criminal detentions. The raid's timing and scale (about 50 present, 100+ officers), the seven co-workers taken, Pastor Zhou's summons and failure to return, and the 'fraud' charge all come from members' one-sided testimonies; ChinaAid's September 21 first-hand reports corroborate them, but police and all official channels have published nothing, and this site cannot independently confirm the claims. This site will continue to follow the case and any lawyer visits. [1][2]

[Update, October 30, 2026] ChinaAid reported on October 30 that Beijing Jiaquan Church pastor Cui Xianfeng (also known as Zhou Zixun) had his arrest formally approved on October 23 on suspicion of fraud, and remains at Beijing's Shijingshan District Detention Center, while the seven other detained coworkers have been released on bail. All eight were detained following the September 4 police operation that surrounded some 50 church members preparing the church's 20th anniversary celebration in a Beijing hotel conference room (seven were detained at the scene and Cui elsewhere; two were then released while two other leaders were detained, leaving eight in criminal detention). On October 27, Cui's wife, Cui Jinrong, issued a public statement saying Jiaquan would remain an independent house church with no political aspirations or opposition to secular authorities, and that the seven released coworkers suffered physical and psychological trauma during interrogation; she holds South Korean citizenship and has been denied a visa to enter China for three consecutive years, unable to reunite with her husband. Cui reportedly sent a message from detention encouraging believers to 'hold fast to their faith and never lose hope,' and the defense team is preparing further legal proceedings seeking his release and the eventual acquittal of all eight. As of publication, local police and relevant government departments had not issued an official response regarding the Jiaquan case. [3]

Primary sources

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