Chinese Pastor Detained Again Over Unregistered Church Activities
Chinese police detained Pastor An Yankui of Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church at his home on September 29, according to International Christian Concern. Officers from the Taiyuan Public Security Bureau took him in on suspicion of organizing illegal religious activities, the same accusation authorities used against him in 2020, when he was held for fifteen days and fined. Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church is an unregistered Protestant congregation that has faced repeated raids over the years, including one during a worship service in October 2025.
An has been detained several times since 2020 on separate accusations, including a claim that he once left China under false pretenses. His case follows a broader pattern of pressure on house churches across China this fall, after officials in southern China seized Bible study materials from another unregistered congregation in mid September. Advocates including Pastor Ezra Jin, who was released from Chinese detention earlier this year, continue to call on believers abroad to pray for pastors still held in China.
