Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: August 15, 2026
Pastor David Tang has not been seen for over a week.
On the morning of 5 August, police in Wenzhou, China, took the senior pastor of Purpose Driven Church into custody, alongside six other church workers.
We now know they are being held at Chongming Detention Centre in Shanghai, but the authorities still haven’t explained why they were detained.
All seven serve at Purpose Driven Church, an unregistered Protestant church founded by Pastor Tang. According to reports, the church has refused to join the government-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement or register with the authorities.
Such decisions can carry significant risks. Yet there are legitimate reasons why a church may not wish to register with the government, while others have in fact been blocked from registering. Some remain independent because registration would give the authorities greater control over how they worship, teach and organise church life.
But independence can come at a cost. Across China, unregistered churches have faced increasing pressure and targeting from the authorities. Even something as ordinary as receiving tithes and offerings could put pastors at risk of being charged with ‘fraud’.
Pastor Li Jie and elder Han Xiaodong of Linfen Covenant House Church served three years and eight months on unfounded fraud-related charges. They were released earlier this year, having completed their sentences.
And just yesterday, the trial began of eight leaders from Zion Church, who face charges of ‘illegal business operations’ and ‘fraud’.
While the authorities have not said why Pastor Tang and the six church workers were detained, their disappearance comes against a backdrop of growing pressure on independent churches and their leaders.
We stand with them today, praying:
- For Pastor Tang and the six church workers from Purpose Driven Church. Pray for their safety, encouragement, and ultimately their freedom. Ask God to draw near to their loved ones and the whole church family — waiting and praying for answers.
- For the freedom of eight Christians from Zion Church, standing trial this weekend. Pray that they would know the presence of the Lord with them each day of the trial (14-18 August), and for their families too.
- For an end to the targeting of unregistered churches and their leaders, and all who face injustice because of their religion or belief.
We pray in hope, remembering that others detained from Zion Church have already been released — including the church’s founder, Pastor Ezra Jin.
He shared:
“I couldn’t be more thankful and pray that others still imprisoned will experience this same freedom soon. Mine is a God of miracles, and he constantly surprises me."