You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
Christianity in China can be perceived and treated differently depending on where it is practised – and is always at the whims of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In recent years, the government has aggressively tried to ensure all religious expression is brought into line with official Chinese Communist philosophy. Any church or church leader stepping beyond that can come under heavy restrictions. Unregistered churches, even those once tolerated, are considered illegal and increasingly put under pressure, as authorities seek to enforce regulations and tighten policies. State-approved churches come under strong ideological pressure, and smaller congregations are often forced to merge to make a larger church that is easier for the state to control.
Children under 18 are forbidden from attending church. Officially registered churches are carefully regulated to make sure nothing they promote falls outside CCP guidelines. The surveillance and monitoring of all suspected church leaders are consequences of following Jesus in China.
In regions where Islam or Tibetan Buddhism are majority faiths, Christian converts can face additional scrutiny and pressure – and sometimes violence – from their families and communities.
Converts from minority ethnic groups with a Muslim or Buddhist background face the most severe violations of religious freedom, as they experience additional pressure from their families and communities. Otherwise, Christians across China can be targeted by the authorities, sometimes seemingly at random.
Some church leaders were still taken away for things like ‘drinking tea’ (a common euphemism for casual questioning from officials). It has become unsafe for our brothers and sisters to connect in groups; otherwise, they might be questioned by the authorities anytime.
Hollace, an Open Doors partner who lives in a Muslim-majority part of China
Regulations in China continue to be more tightly enforced, and the country has risen four spots on the 2025 World Watch List. Once again, unregistered churches were forcibly closed, and believers were forced to take their fellowships underground. Registered churches faced restrictions around the topics for their sermons. They are required to put up pro-Communist signs and are monitored.
Church leaders anywhere in the country can be invited for ‘tea’ by the Chinese authorities, usually a thinly veiled excuse to check on Christian activities. More leaders of house churches are being convicted of fraud or other economic crimes, and face long and arduous prison sentences. The relative openness the Chinese church experienced for many years is slowly closing. Each year, the expression of Christian faith becomes subject to increasingly complex legal restrictions.
Through local partners and churches, Open Doors supports believers in China with discipleship and persecution survival training, presence ministry, and relief response programmes. We help serve the younger generation of believers, and provide contextualised Christian literature to those who have converted from Islam or Buddhism.
Dear God, We hear about China so often in world news. We know how important the country is, how much the church has grown, and how millions of our brothers and sisters live there. And yet, we also mourn because each year seems to bring new restrictions. Would You please intervene and make a way for Christians to worship freely? Would You help Your children stand strong and equip the next generation to continue serving You? We ask this in Your Son's name, Amen.
