From international editor Angela Lu Fulton: At CT, we know we can’t cover every instance of persecution that Chinese Christians face. Harassment, surveillance, and detentions are constantly happening to pastors and members of unregistered house churches around the country. Great organizations like ChinaAid keep an eye on the situations and make information available to Christians around the world.

Even with an influential and well-known house church like Early Rain Covenant Church (whose outspoken pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison), we don’t cover all the times the police have shut down church gatherings or detained leaders for up to a month at a time. But the January raid seemed different. It was a planned attack from police across different locations. Although four people were released quickly, the others remain in custody. It also comes at the heels of a crackdown on Zion Church just three months earlier.

After speaking with sources close to the situation, CT decided we needed to cover this. Beyond sharing what happened, we also wanted to show how the church is persevering and gathering even as the persecution continues.