Franklin Wolf | Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom | China Aid Advisory Board website
On May 5, 2024, Pastor Zhou Songlin of Ganquan Church in Hefei, Anhui Province, responded from prison to the recent divisions among church co-workers over his wife and Elder Ding Zhongfu’s wife hiring defense lawyers for them. He stated that the persecution he and Elder Ding Zhongfu are facing is actually political persecution. They did not actively participate in politics but were forced into it, only to realize the church is not in a political vacuum.
Ganquan Church is a house church that started as a small Bible study group and grew over 20 years into an influential local church. Following the 2,000-year Christian tradition, Ganquan Church relies on voluntary offerings from believers and has strict financial oversight with regular disclosures. The gathering venue property was purchased by resolution of the co-workers’ assembly, with several co-workers jointly holding the deed. The legal process was followed, with video notarization to prove the property belongs to the church.
In mid-November 2023, congregants discovered hidden cameras had been secretly installed in the church but they did not stop gathering. On November 30, 2023, in a surprise move, 16 church members had their homes searched by police and were detained on suspicion of “fraud.” Later, 14 were gradually released on bail pending trial. However, Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu have remained in custody.
Since then, church co-workers and other Christians have faced extensive interrogations and threats. The wives of Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu hired two Christian lawyers for their husbands amid dissenting voices within the church over this decision.
On February 5, 2024, Ganquan Church held a co-workers’ assembly and issued a public “Announcement” to all congregants stating its position on the relationship between church and state. The "Announcement" claimed that the methods used by the legal team frequently created confrontations with the government, which contradicted the church’s stance and their faith. The church demanded that the wives of the two imprisoned pastors dismiss their current lawyers and hire lawyers aligned with the church’s position. However, both wives rejected this demand.
In response to this ongoing conflict, Ganquan Church preacher Wu Fengbo wrote an article titled “Why I Left This Church,” reiterating the stance of the February 5 “Announcement.” He believes Christians should not defend their rights or oppose the government when facing persecution. Subsequently, seven members calling themselves Ganquan Church deacons and co-workers issued an open letter titled “Our Reasons for Leaving This Church,” reasserting the position of the February 5 “Announcement.”
In response to this open letter, on April 27, Wei Shudie and Ge Yunxia, wives of Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu respectively, wrote a response titled “Please Release Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu!”
Pastor Zhou Songlin stated in response to criticism from within the church and some people’s decision to leave: "This is actually political persecution. We did not actively participate in politics but were forced into it. It turns out we are not in a political vacuum."
The conflict within Ganquan Church over rights defense and submission to the government reflects two different church-state views among house churches in mainland China.
