Jin Mingri

Jin Mingri
金明日
Born1969 (age 56–57)
Heilongjiang, China
Other nameEzra Jin
EducationPeking University (BA)
Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (MDiv)
Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin)
Children1

Jin Mingri (Chinese: 金明日, born 1969), also known as Ezra Jin, is the pastor of Zion Church of Beijing, an independent Chinese Christian church in Beijing, China. The church started in 2007 and soon grew to over 1,000 worshippers. Journalist Evan Osnos said Jin has a "lively televangelist flair".

Born in Heilongjiang, he is part of the Korean ethnic minority in China. He is a graduate of Beijing University (BA), Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin). Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, he started attending a Three-Self Patriotic Movement church. Within a few months, he became a Christian convert.[page needed]

In 2018, the authorities shut down the church and put the pastor under house arrest. In October 2025, Jin was detained by Chinese authorities along with more than 20 other members of Zion Church. In July 2026, Jin was released and arrived in Los Angeles on July 4.

References

  1. ↑ Osnos, Evan (2008). "Jesus in China – Interview: Jin Mingri". Frontline/World. PBS. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Osnos, Evan (2014). Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 315–16. ISBN 978-0-374-28074-1. Retrieved 5 March 2022 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 Kurlberg, Jonas; Phillips, Peter M., eds. (2020). Missio Dei in a Digital Age. London: SCM Press. ISBN 978-0-334-05911-0. Retrieved 5 March 2022 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Shea, Nina; Fu, Bob (12 December 2018). "China Cracks Down on Christians". Hudson Institute. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "China Bans Zion, Beijing's Biggest House Church". Christianity Today. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ Dake, Kang (11 October 2025). "Zion Church pastor has been detained in China, his daughter and a religion monitoring group say". The Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "北京锡安教会创办人金明日获释 已抵达美国". Lianhe Zaobao. 5 July 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Wang, Vivian (17 July 2026). "'Suddenly, I Was Free': A Chinese Pastor's Journey From Jail to the U.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 July 2026.