Unshakeable faith in an underground church in China

The scene is still vivid in Jinyi*’s memory.

Young people, mostly college students and some young adults, sit in a circle singing familiar hymns, their Bibles open in front of them on the carpeted floor. She remembers the joy on their faces as they worshiped God and prepared their hearts and minds for the message they had come to hear.

With the windows closed and the red floor-to-ceiling curtains drawn, the room was dark. But the light of Christ was powerfully reflected in the worship of the 100-plus students who had gathered there. It was a typical Sunday morning at the house church that Jinyi and her husband, Zhang*, planted in central China more than two years ago.

That is, until Jinyi heard the heavy footsteps and saw the door swing open. Suddenly, Chinese police officers in black uniforms swarmed the room.



Jinyi immediately realized their fellowship was the target of a police raid. While most of the people the police detained that day were released after 24 hours, some were kept for a full week. But Jinyi’s husband was the leader of the ministry.

Like most house church leaders in certain areas of China, Zhang would bear the brunt of the punishment. He was taken and eventually sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and fined 60,000 renminbi (equivalent to USD $8,347).

Within minutes, Jinyi’s world turned upside down. In her words, “everything fell apart quickly.”
 

Rejection and betrayal

When Open Doors local partners first met Jinyi after the raid, she was withdrawn and visibly skeptical. Deep hurt filled her dark eyes.

And for good reason.

After Zhang was taken, Jinyi turned to the churches in her area for help to survive. She was a woman in her 50s with two children and no real means to provide for them. Where Jinyi lives, being a Christian woman and on her own as a single parent (in the absence of her husband) makes her doubly vulnerable.

But instead of support, she received nothing but rejection.
 

“I felt isolated. I was struggling with my faith and found myself sinking into silence.”

Jinyi

The area churches feared being implicated by association. And while Jinyi knew the reasoning behind their actions, the wounds ran deep. “In my heart, I felt betrayed, hurt, disappointed,” she said during a later visit with Open Doors partners. “I questioned myself. I questioned my strength. I even questioned God.”

As the days and weeks passed, Jinyi’s confusion and sadness deepened. “I felt isolated,” she recalls. “I was struggling with my faith and found myself sinking into silence.”

Our local partners continued to visit her and her family, believing in the transformative power of presence. By the third meeting, Jinyi began to open up and share her story.
 

A call to ministry

Jinyi was a university student when she heard the gospel and decided to follow Jesus. She began serving in a student fellowship on campus.

After she and Zhang married, she served alongside him for years, leading youth and college ministry. For Jinyi, student ministry has, and always will be, her purpose. In the time after the raid, not seeing, hearing or leading the young adults she and her husband had nurtured took an emotional, physical and spiritual toll.

But the students’ faces and the sounds of their worship were never far from her heart. Neither was her calling. 

“Even in that loneliness, I struggled to hold on,” she says. “I tried to remind myself that God sees everything—even when I feel unseen.”


As Open Doors partners continued to show up, Jinyi grew stronger. “I began to think about the young adults who once attended our gatherings,” she says. “How those young people, driven by fear, were scattered like lost sheep without a shepherd.”

Still feeling weary and somewhat overwhelmed, Jinyi knew she needed to be strong for these students. Despite the risks, she was supposed 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.”

Day by day, Jinyi began to put the pieces back together. Over meals, she met one-on-one with several young people to encourage them. Inspired by Jinyi’s faith during and after the raid, several of those young people stepped up to lead small groups, eventually followed by youth gatherings held in different homes.
 

Pressured and underground

As China (No. 17 on the 2026 World Watch List) continues its crackdown on Christian gatherings, including churches not registered with the government, Jinyi knows she is taking extreme risks to lead another underground ministry. Her youth gatherings are illegal. Where the church is pressured and forbidden, believers are often forced underground.

A local church leader explains the situation for house church leaders in certain regions of China. “The atmosphere is too tense in this area,” he says. “Everyone here knows about Jinyi’s situation, but no one dares to get involved.”

He gestures toward an office building. “Can you imagine? A few years ago, there were five churches here, including ours. Now, only one government-approved church (Three-Self Patriotic Movement) remains. House churches face increasing challenges. We have to break into small groups, staying low and hidden.”

Jinyi adds that she knew some churches wanted to help her after the raid, but no one dared to get too close. “With surveillance everywhere, even a visit or a message [to me] can bring danger,” she says.

In certain regions of China, including Jinyi’s, Christians—especially leaders of growing churches and ministries—live under daily pressure. On any given day, they can be called for “tea” with authorities—a somber warning that their actions and words are being watched.

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 (though this law is enforced to differing extents across the country).

The simple act of gathering for worship and Bible study can be treacherous for students, as well. They not only face the risk of police raids, students can also be denied access to graduate programs and applications for government positions.

“The fiercest spiritual battle in China is for the faith of the next generation,” says one ministry leader who prefers to remain anonymous. “Once vibrant student fellowships on university campuses in China have largely disappeared, with only a few continuing in secret.”

Indeed, Paul’s admonition to the church in Corinth, once known for its immorality and affluence, is especially relevant today, especially for Christians under pressure: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love” (1 Cor. 16:13-14).
 

Strength and resilience

Recognizing the urgent need to come alongside vulnerable ministry leaders like Jinyi, Open Doors local partners have continued to visit her.

For Jinyi, this ministry of presence has been a lifeline: “Your visits help me realize that the Lord has not forgotten me. He still loves me. He does no wrong, and He must have a good purpose for my husband and me.”

Because of your prayers and gifts, our partners can make these encouraging visits to underground Christians like Jinyi who often feel isolated and disconnected. Through discipleship and leadership training tailored to their needs, Open Doors is walking with Chinese church leaders under pressure and underground as they live under the constant threat of being watched, exposed and persecuted. And as China continues to crack down even further on the church, more believers will be forced underground now and in the coming years.

 

“The fiercest spiritual battle in China is for the faith of the next generation.”

Ministry leader

When we stand with the underground church through our prayers, presence and support, we can strengthen believers to persevere in their faith under increasing pressure. And, as Jinyi’s story shows, we can empower leaders to pursue their calling to disciple young men and women.

Knowing they are not alone—that the worldwide Church cares—builds resilience and fortitude.



“Thank you for your prayers,” Jinyi says. “There have been countless moments when I wanted to give up. One time, a small group leader felt fearful when receiving inquiries from the police over the phone. Others, seeing the hardships that persecution brought to my family, also felt afraid and tended to withdraw. 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.”
 

Faith reignited

Open Doors partners recently shared a meal with Jinyi. Her spirit was bright. She eagerly shared that her ministry now includes 10 underground small groups with a total of more than 70 young people, all steadily growing stronger even in the midst of persecution.

The group leaders are also beginning to mature. And a church is providing them with online Bible teaching to use in their gatherings.

“Over two years of accompanying Jinyi with our presence, prayer and support, we have been witnessing her life being rebuilt and renewed,” our local partner says. “And behind her, the faith of many others is being reignited.”

Jinyi’s husband has found comfort in hearing about the “little lambs” he and Jinyi tended.

A few months ago, Zhang was scheduled to be released from prison. But it didn’t happen.

“Please pray for us,” Jinyi asks. “My husband is still in prison, and 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.” 
Jinyi references 1 Kings 19, when God spoke to the discouraged prophet Elijah. The Israelites had chosen to worship Baal, and Elijah feared for his life. God reassured him that a faithful group still existed. “Just as God reminded Elijah of the 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal,” she explains, “I, too, find comfort and strength knowing that you and others are with us on the path of serving the Lord.”

Will you join in prayer for Jinyi? 

• Please pray for Jinyi’s husband, still imprisoned after he was supposed to be released. Ask God to protect Zhang from harm, strengthening and comforting him with His presence.
• Please pray for Jinyi. Ask God to strengthen and comfort her and provide for her family. Give her wisdom and guidance to serve the student and youth groups.
• Please pray for the student and youth groups in Jinyi’s region and throughout China. Ask God to protect and strengthen them with His mighty hand, and fill them with courage to stand firm.
• Please pray for Open Doors’ presence ministry. May it be led by the Holy Spirit, grounded in truth and filled with God’s love. Let this ministry bring glory to God.

*Names changed and reenactment photos used to protect security and some details were added or deleted to protect the identity of Jinyi, Zhang and their ministry.