Three leaders of a Chinese house church have been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of fraud charges that supporters say are baseless. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that Pastor Li Jie, Elder Han Xiadong, and Elder Wang Qiang, all from the Linfen Covenant Home Church in Shanxi Province, were convicted following what many describe as a flawed legal process.
Pastor Li Jie and Elder Han Xiadong were each given prison terms of three years and eight months, while Elder Wang Qiang received a sentence of one year and eleven months. The two senior leaders were arrested in August 2022, with Qiang taken into custody in November 2022 after allegedly refusing to provide false testimony against the others.
The charges against the men centred on accusations of obtaining “illegal income” through church collections, but the trial did not begin until May 2025. Ahead of the court proceedings, Xiadong and Jie’s wives, along with other church members, reportedly faced intimidation and harassment from authorities. The trial itself was conducted behind closed doors.
CSW sources revealed that the men’s lawyers were promised lighter sentences if they attended court without electronic devices, a promise that was ultimately broken. Wang Qiang was released on bail in March 2025; prior to this, he had been held under “Residential Surveillance in a Designated Location,” a form of detention regarded by the United Nations as enforced disappearance because it denies suspects any contact with the outside world.
It is believed that Qiang’s shorter sentence reflects the time he has already spent in detention, suggesting he may now be free.
In response to the verdict, the Linfen Covenant Home Church released a statement rejecting the judgement. The church affirmed, “We do not accept this unjust judgment. Our brothers did not commit fraud, and the offerings of our church are not fraud. Our church remains a house church, adhering to Christ as the sole head of the church and the principle of separation of church and state.”
The statement added, “We recognise that Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang are suffering for righteousness’ sake and are willing to take up the cross with the Lord. We receive the result of the judgment from the Lord with a heart of gratitude and obedience.”
