XI’AN, CHINA — Three leaders of an unregistered Christian house church in Xi’an have been arrested by Chinese authorities and detained on fraud charges, reigniting global concern over religious freedom in China.
According to ChinaAid, Pastor Lian Xuliang, Pastor Lian Changnian, and church member Fu Juan were taken into custody last Sunday by the First Branch of the Xi’an Municipal Public Security Bureau. Their arrests were later approved by the Baqiao District Court, and the three are now being held at the Weiyang District Detention Center.
This marks a repeat of legal action against the same individuals, who were detained in August 2022 on similar charges and held for nearly three years before their release on bail in April 2025.
Pastor Lian Changnian, 71, was reportedly in poor health and receiving hospital treatment before being detained again.
“What is shocking is that while awaiting the verdict, the authorities took the three individuals away again and detained them,” the Church of Abundance said in a statement.
The Church of Abundance, also known as Fengsheng Church, was founded about 30 years ago and officially banned in August 2022 by the Xi’an Civil Affairs Bureau for being an “illegal social organization.”
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) noted that the original 2022 arrests were part of a nationwide campaign targeting unregistered Protestant churches. Alongside the fraud allegations, authorities accused the church leaders of “endangering national security.”
During six months of residential surveillance, Pastor Lian was allegedly tortured before being formally charged with fraud in March 2023, according to USCIRF.
Authorities often cite voluntary church offerings as evidence of fraud, according to ChinaAid. In this case, prosecutors rely on testimony from Qin Wen, described as a fraud victim—but ChinaAid reports that Qin has since recanted, saying she was coerced into testifying and is now seeking legal counsel to clear the defendants’ names.
In 2022, the church was accused of illegal fundraising and labeled a cult by local authorities, said Morning Star News. Members also reported physical abuse during police detentions. Pastor Lian’s wife said her husband bore visible injuries after arrest, including bruises and bloodshot eyes.
Bitter Winter, an Italy-based religious freedom organization, previously reported that the church’s closure was part of a nationwide effort to force unregistered Protestant congregations to join the state-run Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Last month, prominent underground church pastor Jin Mingri—a Fuller Seminary graduate whose children are U.S. citizens—was also detained in Beihai, Guangxi Province, along with nearly 30 members of Zion Church across multiple cities.
The arrests have drawn international condemnation, including from U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who stated:
“This crackdown further demonstrates how the Chinese Communist Party shows hostility toward Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches.”
