Open Letter from Early Rain Covenant Church Regarding “Information Circulating Online Recently About Pastor Wang Yi’s Health”

To all members of the Kingdom who share in the grace of Christ’s redemption, and to friends from all walks of life who care about Pastor Wang Yi: We greet you in Christ!

Information about Pastor Wang Yi’s health has recently circulated online, and we are deeply concerned, as you are. In terms of faith, we believe in God’s sovereignty in providentially governing all things; in terms of human responsibility, given the prolonged lack of normal visits and correspondence, and our inability to obtain timely information about Pastor Wang Yi’s health, we cannot in the slightest dismiss any information concerning his health or safety.

In December 2019, Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court for the crimes of inciting subversion of state power and illegal business operations, and was subsequently transferred to Jintang Prison in Chengdu to serve his sentence. Nearly eight years have passed since his arrest. Normal visits, correspondence, and telephone calls between him and his wife and children and parents have long been strictly restricted, making it difficult for his family to learn about his living conditions and health in a timely and accurate manner. During the eight years Pastor Wang Yi has been serving his sentence, his basic rights to normal visits and correspondence with his family have never been protected in accordance with the law. Over those eight years, his family has been able to visit him successfully no more than five times, and his family and the outside world know very little about his current mental and physical health.

For this reason, we understand the appeals made recently by related media, brothers and sisters in the Lord, and members of the public after receiving this information. Although we cannot know the source of the information, based on what we are currently able to ascertain, we cannot confirm whether Pastor Wang Yi has become ill, nor can we accurately know his current health condition. This is because there have been previous cases in which prisoners of conscience in detention or serving sentences suddenly developed serious illnesses while in custody (whether caused by human actions or arising naturally), were unable to receive adequate medical care, and even died under mysterious circumstances shortly before or after their release (and these cases are not few in number).

Given this lack of transparency about the information, as the church pastored by Pastor Wang Yi, we neither treat the current information as established fact nor dismiss it as groundless and disregard it and the warning it represents. What we hope for is that the prison authorities will protect Pastor Wang Yi’s right to normal visits, correspondence, and telephone calls with his family in accordance with the law; provide his family with accurate health and medical information; and ensure that he receives timely and adequate medical care when needed. They should also keep his family informed in a timely manner in an open and transparent way.

We have the following responses:

1. First, we ask the Lord, who created heaven and earth and providentially governs all things, to personally protect His servant, Pastor Wang Yi. If he is indeed ill, we ask the Lord to heal him and, through the medical channels to which he is entitled, enable him to receive timely and adequate examinations and treatment. We also ask the Lord to comfort his wife and children and his elderly parents, and to grant them peace, patience, and hope from God as they wait through this long period.

2. We thank the brothers and sisters in the Lord, media members, and friends from all sectors of society who have long prayed for Pastor Wang Yi, advocated on his behalf, and spoken out. In circumstances where information has long been restricted, every fact-based expression of concern and every act of speaking out in accordance with conscience is precious to us. (The Lord Jesus said: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” He also said: “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:40, 42.) Therefore, the Lord will remember everything you have done out of love.

3. We also ask the Lord to comfort every brother and sister who is worried by the recent information. May the Lord keep us from dismissing danger because we do not yet know all the facts, and from falling into panic because we cannot obtain all the information. For our hope is in Christ, who has risen from the dead and now reigns as King (“Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:7.) May what He has accomplished and will accomplish for us become our true hope amid the unknown, and our genuine comfort in times of tribulation.

4. We call on the prison authorities to protect, in accordance with the law, Pastor Wang Yi’s and his family’s right to normal visits, correspondence, and telephone calls, and to stop restricting these basic rights for long periods on grounds such as “waiting for leadership approval.” We also call on them to provide his family with truthful information about his health, physical examinations, and medical care, and to ensure that if he falls ill, he can promptly receive the necessary and adequate examinations and treatment. After all, keeping information closed off for a long time will only increase doubts; openness and transparency are the most direct way to address concerns.

5. We earnestly ask all our brothers and sisters to continue praying fervently for Pastor Wang Yi. Approximately one year and three months remain before his sentence is completed. We ask the Lord especially to protect His servant, to strengthen him in body, mind, and faith, to thwart every attack and scheme of the evil one, and, in accordance with the Lord’s own will and timing, to bring him safely back to his family and church.

6. We also earnestly ask all Christians, media members, members of the public, and public-interest organizations who care about Pastor Wang Yi to continue paying attention to his situation in whatever ways they can. We especially thank those who have long followed the situation of prisoners of conscience and, despite restrictions on information, have done their best to gather information, issue warnings, and speak out publicly. Public attention and oversight are themselves a form of protection for those who have been isolated. May such attention prompt the relevant parties to treat Pastor Wang Yi lawfully and transparently, and to protect his life, health, and basic rights until he returns safely.

Finally, we once again thank all the brothers and sisters and friends from all walks of life who care about Pastor Wang Yi and Early Rain Covenant Church. May we pray in faith, exercise caution in the face of the facts, and do all we can in fulfilling our human responsibilities.

May God bless you and guard the hearts and minds of all with His own peace.

Early Rain Covenant Church  October 3, 2026