Editor’s note: There’s no question that, over the last few years, particularly since 2018 and the implementation of the “new religious regulations,” persecution in China has become more intense. One of the main forms this persecution has taken are charges of “fraud” against house church leaders because their unregistered churches accept tithes and offerings. (Check out

Numerous individuals have spent time in jail because they were charged with defrauding others within their congregation. In these cases, it is alleged that any sort of financial gift to the church is illegitimate and involves deceit of the member who donated, although they made these gifts and offerings of their own free will. Covenant Home Church is the case profiled in this joint statement, and is a good example of what is happening to believers who are facing these types of charges.

If China continues to persecute churches for receiving tithes and offerings, it may be increasingly difficult for house churches to operate. Chinese Christians are concerned about this trend, and so decided to speak out and argue that it is their duty and right to freely make financial gifts to their churches. It is also the right of churches to receive and manage these gifts, and these donations do not constitute fraud. As it argues for the validity of financial donations to the church, this statement relies on biblical commands, broader church history, and Chinese law itself.

Against the Persecution of Covenant Home Church Based on False Accusations of “Fraud”

Covenant Home Church is a house church in Linfen, China. The church adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter catechisms, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Belgic Confession. Covenant Home Church upholds the spirit of the Reformation, continues in the faith tradition of the Puritans, and uses Presbyterian governance models.

On August 19, 2022, more than 30 adults and 40 children from the church were participating in outdoor activities at a scenic spot in Lingshi County when a group of men suddenly burst in. Li Jie and Han Xiaodong [leaders of Covenant Home Church] were immediately seized. Their hands were cuffed behind their backs, and they were forced to the ground. Throughout the entire incident, no explanation was given. Children were frightened and crying, and parents who attempted to intervene were silenced.

On August 23, Han Xiaodong and Li Jie and his wife were placed under “residential surveillance at a designated location.”[1] For four days and nights, they were deprived of sleep, and subjected to physical punishment and humiliation. Then, on November 1, Wang Qiang was arrested for refusing to renounce his faith and provide false testimony to incriminate Li Jie and Han Xiaodong. While he was under residential surveillance, Wang endured severe torture, including being forced to sit on a “tiger chair” [2] for seven days and nights without sleep. His status was only changed to criminal detention after complaints and accusations were filed with the prosecutors.

Since 2018, there are 13 known cases where Chinese house churches have been persecuted based on accusations of “fraud.””

On May 26, 2023, the three men were indicted by the Yaodu District Procutratorate of Linfen on charges of “fraud.” Their trial has still not begun.

Since 2018, there are 13 known cases where Chinese house churches have been persecuted based on accusations of “fraud”:

Wang Family Wedding Church in Zhuhai [Guangdong Province]; Egangqiao Church in Ezhou [Hubei Proince]; Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen [Shanxi Province]; Ren’ai Reformed Church in Guiyang [Guizhou Province]; Qingcaodi Reformed Church in Deyang [Sichuan Province]; Covenant Home Church in Linfen [Shanxi]; Fengsheng Church in Xi’an [Shaanxi Province]; the two youth fellowship co-workers in Hefei [Anhui Province]; Ganquan Church, also in Hefei; Living Stone Reformed Church in Bengbu [Anhui Province]; the case of  Luanchuan house church pastor Chen Lijun in Luoyang [Henan Province]; three Christians who participated in an online prayer meeting in Guangdong Province; and three Christian women in Suining [Sichuan Province].

Because house church pastors do not have official religious personnel certificates, and because house churches are unregistered, authorities reason that any offerings to these churches constitute fraud. If this logic was applied universally, it would lead to accusations against the pastors and staff of all Chinese house churches.

As Christians, we believe these are erroneous accusations. We hereby issue the following joint statement regarding these cases:

First, the church is founded on the Bible. When we make offerings, we do so in accordance with biblical principles.

Authorities say unregistered churches are illegal. This misplaces the foundation of the church. Whether or not a group is a church is determined by their adherence to Scripture, not the status of their registration. A biblically sound church will follow scriptural teaching in its faith, life, and in its practices of giving.

In the Old Testament tradition, Israelites offered sacrifices to worship God, giving a tenth of their income to the priests and Levites. Malachi 3:10 is a key verse: “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

In the New Testament, both Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught that “the laborer is worthy of his wages” and it is right for “those who preach the gospel to live from the gospel.” Furthermore, 1 Tim. 5:17 says: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” In this verse, “honor” specifically refers to the provision the church gives full- or part-time ministers.

Second, the church is rooted in tradition. The tradition of giving has grown alongside the church.

Throughout two millennia of church history, regardless of the culture or nation to which Christianity has spread, believers have been taught to worship God. Giving is an integral part of this worship. Christians are called to offer their bodies, their lives, and their financial resources to serve God, support the church, and care for the poor.

From East to West, the Christian church has left a legacy of monasteries, universities, and magnificent cathedrals. All these were built through Christians’ financial and material offerings, along with the dedication of their knowledge and time. Even more importantly, as the church has expanded from Jerusalem and into the Mediterranean world and beyond, it has been sustained by the generosity of believers.

Giving is an integral part of this worship. Christians are called to offer their bodies, their lives, and their financial resources to serve God, support the church, and care for the poor.

In modern times, hundreds of thousands of missionaries spread the gospel in China. They established schools, built hospitals, and carried out various evangelistic and charitable works, benefiting countless people from our own country. The cost of these endeavors is astronomical, and was supported by the offerings of numerous Christians.

Chinese house churches continue this tradition. They uphold Christ as the sole head of the church, and operate under the principle of separation of church and state. The house churches render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, glorifying the Lord through worship and giving. Whether they are ministers or ordinary believers, whether they offer God their entire lives or their material possessions, all of them bring glory to and receive grace from the Lord.

Third, both domestic law and international mechanisms affirm the legitimacy and legality of house church offerings.

From the perspective of civil law, Christian “offerings” are like financial donations in other religions: they fall under the category of gifts. When, of their own volition, believers give offerings to the church, those offerings become the property of the church. The church’s provision for its ministers is fundamental to its conduct of worship, teaching, pastoral care, evangelism, and various charitable works. Whether a believer donates to the church or to a specific pastor, the legal nature of the gift does not change.

Religious donations like this are inherently legal, no matter if they are Christians offerings, Islamic zakat, [3] or Buddhist merit . The legislation of modern nations recognizes the legitimacy of these donations, and is a concrete manifestation of secular governments upholding the rights of their citizens to have freedom of belief.

When, of their own volition, believers give offerings to the church, those offerings become the property of the church… Whether a believer donates to the church or to a specific pastor, the legal nature of the gift does not change. Religious donations like this are inherently legal.

From a constitutional and international perspective, freedom of religion is a cornerstone for the protection of other fundamental rights. Freedom of belief is intertwined with freedom of speech, association, and assembly. When the right to freedom of religion is not guaranteed, it often signifies the loss of those other freedoms.

Article 36 of the [Chinese] Constitution guarantees freedom of religious belief. Some of the international mechanisms which emphasize the state’s obligation to respect, protect, and promote freedom of belief include Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief; and General Comment No. 22 of the Human Rights Committee interpreting Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The state’s responsibility to respect, protect, and promote freedom of belief has seven specific aspects:

• The freedom to have, choose, and change one’s religion or belief;
• Freedom to practice one’s religion or belief, including the right to manifest, practice, and express beliefs both privately and publicly;
• Freedom from coercion to have, maintain, or change one’s belief;
• Freedom from discrimination;
• Freedom of parents or guardians to raise their children according to their own religious or philosophical convictions;
• Institutional freedom and the right to legal recognition. Religious or belief groups have the right to be formally recognized as communities and should be granted legal personality status to form formal institutions to represent their interests and rights as a community. However, official registration or legal personality status should never be a prerequisite for a religious or belief group to exercise freedom of religion or belief, or to determine its own affairs;
• The right to conscientious objection. Freedom of religion or belief also protects individuals from being forced to act against their conscience and core beliefs, particularly regarding the use of weapons or deadly force.

We believe:

The way authorities have enacted administrative regulations (such as the Regulations on Religious Affairs) violates constitutional and rule-of-law principles, and has effectively divided Chinese churches into two categories. There are registered Three-Self churches, which accept government intervention and oversight; and numerous unregistered house churches, which, in resistance to unlawful government interference and control over their faith, have not registered.

The authorities’ unjust legislation, which denies house churches legal personality, directly violates the aforementioned international principle of guaranteeing legal personality status for religious or belief groups. However, unjust laws enacted by secular governments do not make the church lose its catholicity or its two-thousand-year continuity in core beliefs with the universal church.

Beliefs from both Three-Self churches and house churches have the right and the conscientious obligation to witness their faith through offerings. The church has the right to receive and independently use offerings according to biblical principles and tradition.

Authorities make the simplistic assertion that, because house church pastors lack official certificates and the churches are unregistered, the offerings given (according to biblical principles and two thousand years of church tradition) at those churches constitute fraud. This is an affront to all Christians, and to Christianity in China. It is a blatant violation of the Constitution, and of international covenants and mechanisms. Since all Christians worldwide belong to Jesus Christ and are one family, such actions are also an affront and injury to all Christians and to churches globally.

Covenant Home Church in Linfen is a house church, established according to biblical principles and church tradition. The arrest and subsequent treatment (enforced disappearnces, arbitrary detention and arrest with measures such as “residential surveillance at a designated location”) of pastors and church laborers Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang (who is currently released on bail) is a grave violation of the right to freedom of religion. This right is guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution, and by international mechanisms.

Authorities make the simplistic assertion that, because house church pastors lack official certificates and the churches are unregistered, the offerings given (according to biblical principles and two thousand years of church tradition) at those churches constitute fraud. This is an affront.

Therefore, we jointly issue this statement. We urge authorities to:

1. Respect the right to freedom of religion, as guaranteed by the Constitution and international covenants, and to implement the principle of separation of church and state, “rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
2. Immediately release Li Jie and Han Xiaodong of Covenant Home Church and drop all cases (including this one) nationwide which charge pastors and house church co-workers with “fraud” based solely on their affiliation with unregistered churches.

We have not included the list of signatories to this statement as the list of names (which went public on Nov. 30, 2024) is ever-expanding. You are welcome to view the original statement here as it was shared on the social media and messaging platform, Telegram.

[1] Residential surveillance at a designated location: A form of extrajudicial detention in China that allows authorities to hold individuals in secret locations for up to six months without access to legal counsel or family.

[2] Tiger chair is a torture device used in Chinese prisons. It involves tying a victim to a bench and placing bricks or other hard objects under their legs, causing excruciating pain.

[3] Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is a mandatory form of charity and almsgiving.

Wang Jianguo is the collective pseudonym for a group of Chinese house church pastors thinking and writing about issues related to the spread of Christianity in their nation. They are committed to preaching a grace-centered gospel, developing resources for the church, and loving China’s urban centers.

Pray for Chinese Christians who are currently imprisoned on charges of defrauding their congregation because their church accepted tithes and offerings.