China frees imprisoned pastor weeks after Trump’s request

Pastor Jin Mingri, also known as Ezra, was released and arrived in the United States on Friday after nearly nine months in Chinese prison. His church wrote a joyful social media post on Sunday praising God for his release. Jin served as a pastor of the prominent Zion Church, which, since its 2007 founding, has refused to register with China’s system for controlling religious groups. He was arrested along with other church leaders in an October 2025 government crackdown. Jin suffers from diabetes and was held without any communication with his family.

Jin’s release came several weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump discussed his case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to China. Trump said at the time that Xi was considering freeing Jin. The ChinaAid advocacy group reported that Jin’s release resulted from those discussions and was a goodwill gesture from China coinciding with U.S. Independence Day.

Jin reunited with his family upon arriving in the United States, according to Zion Church. His wife and children permanently left China in 2018. They had not seen him in several years, according to Zion Church. Grace Jin Drexel said she was overwhelmed with joy at her father’s release and that a miracle had occurred, according to Zion Church. She thanked other Christians for their support and prayers.

What happened to the other Zion Church leaders arrested alongside Jin? Eight of them remain in prison, according to the church. Chinese authorities were moving toward prosecuting them on false charges, while blocking their lawyers from reviewing files, according to the church.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s interview with Jin’s daughter, Grace.