The Mai Seed Reformed Church case in Fuyang, Anhui, will hold a pretrial conference on May 7, 2026

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On May 1, 2026, this website learned: The Mai Seed Reformed Church case in Fuyang, Anhui, will hold a pretrial conference on May 7, 2026. Because it has maintained a house-church position and refused to join the Three-Self Church, the Mai Seed Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui, has repeatedly been suppressed by the authorities since 2021; on June 29, 2025, the church was raided by the authorities, and Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao were criminally detained; on July 9, 2025, Pastor Zhang Sen was arrested;

In October 2025, Pastors Zhang Sen and Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao were transferred to the procuratorate for review and prosecution on charges of organising illegal gatherings. The case will hold a pretrial conference on May 7, 2026.

Appendix: Zhang Sen biography: A native of Anhui Province, a Christian, pastor of the “Mai Seed Reformed Church” in the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Fuyang City, Anhui Province, a victim of religious persecution, and a Chinese prisoner of conscience.

A devout believer in Jesus Christ; because his church is a Presbyterian church, he adheres to a house-church position in matters of faith and has openly refused to join the “Three-Self” churches controlled by the Chinese Communist government, he has therefore been placed under stability-maintenance surveillance;

In 2018, he participated in signing the “Pastors’ Joint Statement: A Declaration of Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church;

In August 2021, the church to which he belonged was raided for the first time by police from Yingzhou District, Fuyang City. It was subsequently subjected to frequent repression. During this period, he was beaten, became a key target of stability-maintenance efforts, was frequently summoned by police to “drink tea,” and was subjected to prolonged surveillance;

In 2023, as his church faced escalating persecution, some Christians willing to unite to provide home-based education attracted the close attention of the local government. As a result, many believers’ families were harassed; some people were forced to relocate; some homes were illegally entered, or people were followed and had tracking devices and surveillance equipment installed, among other measures. Soon afterward, the Mai Seed Reformed Church was officially banned by the government, and nearly 20 people were arrested and detained;

On March 24, 2024, eight church Christians were approved for release, and he and other believers went to the entrance of the detention centre to welcome them and prayed together nearby. He was consequently summoned for questioning and was then administratively detained for 15 days by police from the local police station on March 28 on the grounds that “the prayer had not been reported” in advance;

On June 29, 2025, while the church to which he belonged was worshipping, it was again raided by police. Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao in the church were taken away and criminally detained on suspicion of “illegal assembly.” Although he was not worshipping or attending a gathering at the church at the time, on July 9 of the same year he was likewise taken away and criminally detained by Fuyang police across provincial boundaries at a friend’s home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. The specific alleged offence is unclear, but it is certain to be related to his faith. During an interview on May 28, 2025, with the online prayer programme “China at Five in the Afternoon” run by a house church, he stated that his signing of the “Pastors’ Joint Statement” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi was the main reason the Mai Seed Reformed Church had repeatedly been persecuted. As he was one of the signatories, the possibility that he was subjected to severe repression is extremely high. He has remained in detention ever since and has not been released. He is currently detained at the Fuyang City Detention Centre (Lukan Road, Yingquan District, Fuyang City, Anhui Province, postal code: 236050).

Appendix: Chang Shun biography: A native of Anhui Province, a Christian, pastor of the “Mai Seed Reformed Church” in the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Fuyang City, Anhui Province, and a Chinese prisoner of conscience.

A devout believer in Jesus Christ, he became involved in ministry at the Mai Seed Reformed House Church in Fuyang, Anhui Province, at an early stage, and later successively became an evangelist and pastor; in 2018, he and other church pastors participated in signing the “Pastors’ Joint Signature: A Statement for the Christian Faith” initiated that year by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, demonstrating their adherence to a house-church position and openly refusing to join the Chinese Communist Party’s “Three-Self” churches; because of this, however, the church to which he belonged was eventually banned by the government. The believers and pastors such as himself nevertheless continued to hold gatherings discreetly and with difficulty while enduring repeated raids and repression;

On October 21, 2023, after local authorities learned that he and six or seven Christians from the church were studying the Bible in an office building, multiple departments, including the local police station, the residential community, and the religious affairs bureau, jointly raided the site, illegally confiscated the books and computers they were using, and took several male Christians, including him, away for questioning; two weeks later, on November 4, he and his fellow church workers Han Xuri and Han Meng were each administratively detained for 10 days by police from the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Fuyang City for “illegal assembly activities,” and each was fined 500 yuan;

On March 10, 2024, while the church to which he belonged was worshipping, it was again raided by the authorities. Eighteen Christians were taken away, nine pastors and church workers were administratively detained, and he was administratively detained for 15 days (reportedly, this was his third detention within six months);

On June 29, 2025, just as the Fuyang Mai Seed Reformed Church and the Covenant Hall preaching station were holding worship services, they were again raided by local police. Multiple church groups were forced to stop meeting, and he, Elder Ma Tao, and 19 other pastors and believers (including four children) were taken away together on the grounds of suspected involvement in illegal assemblies; the following day (June 30), most people were gradually released, but he and Elder Ma Tao were criminally detained on suspicion of “organising illegal gatherings”; they have remained imprisoned and have not been released to date. It is reported that the Christians who have been released and returned home continue to be monitored and harassed and have been forced to move. He is currently detained at the Fuyang City Detention Centre (Lukan Road, Yingquan District, Fuyang City, Anhui Province, postal code: 236050).