Pastor Wang Yi and the Persecuted Church in China
Pastor Wang Yi
Pastor Wang Yi was the pastor of Early Rain Church in Chengdu, China. On December 9, 2018, Chinese Police raided the church in the middle of a service and arrested Wang Yi, his wife Jiang Rong, and 100 other members of Early Rain Church. Wang Yi was denied access to his lawyer and medical attention, the conviction of “Subversion of State Power and illegal business operations,” and given a nine-year prison sentence. He has not been seen or heard from since January 2024.
Bio Stats:
Born in Chengdu on June 1, 1973
Married with one son
Human Rights Advocate and Legal Scholar at Chengdu University before resigning to become a pastor
Named one of China’s 50 most influential Public Intellectuals in China in 2004 in Southern People Weekly
Awarded Prize for Contribution to Promoting Religious Freedom in 2008 at the Conference for Global Christians in Law
Diplomatic Action:
2019: The U.S. State Department condemns Wang Yi’s imprisonment
2023: Senator Thom Tillis adopts Pastor Wang Yi as a prisoner of Conscience
2023: The China Executive Congressional Commission (CECC), in collaboration with Luke Alliance, sends a letter to President Biden requesting that he mention Wang Yi in bilateral conversations with Chinese counterparts
2023: Senators Budd and Tillis introduce the Combatting the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act
2025: The Congressional-Executive Commission on China Nominates Pastor Wang Yi for the Nobel Peace Prize
2025: Luke Alliance submits a letter to the UNHCHR advocating for the release and just treatment of Pastor Wang Yi
Arrest and Prosecution
Arrested on December 9, 2018, with his wife and 100 other members of his church
Currently serving a nine-year sentence for “Subversion of State Power”
The conviction included stripping of his political rights for 3 years and the confiscation of his personal assets
Luke Alliance has been advocating for his release and just treatment since 2018
Wang Yi has not been seen or heard from since January 2024
Further Reading
A Strategy to Free Political Prisoners in China. Olivia Enos, Hudson Institute
Wang Yi - Defending Freedoms Project. Tom Lantos, Human Rights Commission, United States Congress
Wang Yi -CECC Political Prisoner Database. Congressional-Executive Committee on China
Wang Yi. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Article on Wang Yi - Christianity Today
My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience - Wang Yi via China Partnership
The Persecuted Church in China
1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide; 2 in 5 are persecuted in Asia.
There are 96,700,00 estimated Christians in China.
China is working towards its goal to “Sinicise” religion in China: making religion and theology conform to communist party principles.
Church seizure, repurposing, and demolition are on the rise. Raids on churches, mass arrests, and unjust and false charges and prison sentences are also on the rise
Source: Open Doors; Aleteia