One miracle closer
Date
07/08/2026
Hosted By
One miracle closer
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WORLD Radio - One miracle closer
World Tour: The unexpected release of prominent Chinese pastor Ezra Jin Mingri is renewing hope for eight church leaders still behind bars—and encouraging their families to keep speaking out. WORLD Tour takes us to China.
Jin Mingri, head pastor of the Zion church in 2018 Getty Images / Fred DuFour /AFP
Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.
NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour.
The relatives of detained Chinese Christians are hoping that the release of a prominent Chinese pastor will call attention to the others still in custody.
China released Ezra Jin Mingri last week, bringing renewed attention to the government’s crackdown on Christians. Jin leads the underground Zion Church, one of the communist country’s largest unregistered churches with some 10,000 members in 40 cities across the country.
LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Besides Jin, 17 other church leaders were locked up last October in an attempt to squelch religious activity.
At least eight remain behind bars. Geng Pengpeng who goes by Cherie says her husband Gao Yingjia, who goes by Joshua, was arrested in Beijing.
YINGJIA: Sometimes I feel like time goes really slowly because we count it like day by day. But then when I look back, it's wow, I feel like it's already nine months. So it's just unbelievable. You know, for me, like my feelings I've been having up and downs.
EICHER: In China, new laws enacted last fall restrict online activity for clergy—policing both what is said and what platforms are used for evangelism. The initial charges against the churchgoers were “illegal use of information networks.” About half of the arrested church leaders were released in June. But others now face more serious charges, like fraud and “illegal business operations.”
MAST: Cherie told WORLD it's dangerous for the families to speak out while their spouses are still in custody as they may face government retribution.. But raising awareness is one of the few tools they have.
YINGJIA: The lawyer said, to be honest, we will try our best to help your husband. But as a matter of fact, in China, what the lawyers can do was just really limited, you know. They can just cancel their license and stop their law practicing. So they encouraged us. So as a spouse, as family members, you have to fight to speak out for your spouse's freedom.
She says they marked their 16th anniversary in February, with Joshua in custody. She describes her husband as considerate, sweet, and smart–with a PhD in theoretical physics from Peking University.
She’s tried to explain to their four year old what happened.
YINGJIA: He had lots of questions, he said, ‘Mom, why they took the pastors away in prison? 'Cause all the pastors are good people. They've been helping others.’ That's what he sees and he feels.
Cherie translated for another Zion pastor named Yang Jun. His wife Wu Quiyu goes by the English name Chloe, and she was arrested in the sweep. Yang’s name was also on the arrest list. But he was traveling in South Korea at the time and has stayed there since. Their two toddlers are living with their grandparents in China. They’re too young to understand what’s happening, but he video calls them every day.
Yang says having a detained spouse means constantly leaning on the Lord, and being open to what he can do.
YINGJIA: So he said he's praying for more faith and strength from the Lord. he's kind of like the holding the pessimistic opinion even before Pastor Ezra was actually freed. So he didn't believe it could happen. So now he's praying for more faith from the Lord.
EICHER: Like the Jin family, Cherie credits President Trump for raising the plight of the Zion families with China’s president Xi Jinping. Cherie says the release of one pastor gives them new hope that more may come.
YINGJIA: As a Christian we always hope for a miracle. It happens. Cause for Pastor Ezra, we all believe it is a miracle. We didn't really, you know, think it would happen in this way, how things happen. So today we still believe in the miracle.
That’s this week’s World Tour.
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