China pastor and 5 women detained in Bible study raid

A raid on a house church in China just before the new year led to the detainment of a preacher and five believers during a Bible study.

A report details that nearly 40 officials in Taiyuan conducted the raid on An Yankui, the preacher of Xuncheng Church, The Christian Post reports.

Members attending the Bible study were restricted and their choir robes and books were confiscated. The preacher and five women were then apprehended.

Officials did not detain An's wife.

The home, located in the capital of Shanxi province, was raided on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. It was the second raid conducted on the preacher's home in less than two months, according to International Christian Concern (ICC).

The five women detained were released by officials around midnight on Dec. 31. An, however, remains in administrative detention, where he will remain for a total of 15 days before release.

An's Xuncheng Church was planted by Early Rain Covenant Church (EERC), known for their struggles against persecution by the Chinese government.

It is believed the targeting of Xuncheng could be attributed to its connection to EERC.

Gina Goh, ICC regional manager for Southeast Asia, says it is not a surprise that house churches are seen as enemies of the state and "clamped down upon."

More than 60 million Christians live in China. At least half worship in unregistered underground churches, which are illegal in China.

Open Doors USA's World Watch List ranks China as one of the top 50 countries in the world for extreme persecution of Christians.