Founder of prominent underground church released from prison in China

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’ The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October. “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling overwhelmed with joy,” Jin’s family said in a statement. “We thank God for this tremendous miracle. We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership.” China’s ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jin’s release is a rare case of China releasing one of its own citizens, apparently in response to lobbying from the US. In 2024, David Lin, an American pastor of Chinese origins, was released from prison after 20 years after lobbying by the state department. Jin’s case was raised by Donald Trump on his visit to Beijing in May. The US president said that Xi Jinping, China’s president, was “seriously considering” releasing pastors jailed