Wenzhou police detain pastor and six workers in China

Pastor David Tang and six others, including a financial administrator and five ministry workers, remain missing after being detained by police in Wenzhou, China, on August 5. Tang is the founder of Purpose Driven Church, also known as Biaogan Church, an unregistered congregation that has attracted young professionals and intellectuals by refusing to join the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

Human rights organizations, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide and ChinaAid, have reported that the detainees are being held incommunicado, with no information released regarding their whereabouts or legal status. Authorities have reportedly restricted online information related to the arrests.

Advocates suggest these detentions are part of an intensifying crackdown on independent Christian worship in Wenzhou and Zhejiang Province. ChinaAid President Bob Fu noted that authorities are increasingly utilizing economic or criminal accusations to target church leaders, a strategy described as an effort to conceal systematic religious persecution.