George Varghese
Washington DC: Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri Released from China, Reunites with Family in US After President Trump’s Intervention
In a story filled with joy and relief, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri (also known as Pr Jin Mingri or Ezra Jin), founder of Beijing’s prominent underground Zion Church, has been freed after nearly nine months in detention and has safely arrived in Los Angeles.
Pastor Jin was detained in October 2025 during one of the largest crackdowns on a single independent church in recent Chinese history. He and 17 other Zion Church leaders were arrested in raids across multiple cities. His release came suddenly, just weeks after US President Donald Trump personally raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing in May. Trump urged Xi to consider freeing the pastor, and the family believes Xi’s direct intervention played a key role.
Pastor Jin landed in the US on July 4, 2026 — fittingly on America’s 250th Independence Day — and was warmly reunited with his wife, daughter Grace, and two sons. His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, shared the family’s deep emotions: “We are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle.” She also thanked President Trump and his administration for their leadership, saying the release “could not have happened without the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping.” The family hopes this becomes a positive signal for religious freedom in China and better relations between the two nations.
While celebrating Pastor Jin’s freedom, rights groups point out that eight other Zion Church leaders remain in detention. Earlier this year, some church members were released on bail, but several key leaders still face charges.
In the broader picture, a few other Chinese pastors and church workers have seen releases in recent times after serving long sentences or periods of detention. For example, some house church figures completed multi-year prison terms and were freed in late 2025, though many more Christians continue to face restrictions, surveillance, or imprisonment for unregistered worship activities.
Pastor Jin built the Zion Church into one of China’s largest unregistered congregations before authorities shut it down. His case drew worldwide attention as a symbol of the challenges facing independent house churches in China, where the government tightly regulates religious practice.
This release brings a hopeful moment for Pastor Jin’s family and supporters after months of anxious waiting, while also renewing calls for the freedom of all those still held for their faith.
