Two imprisoned pastors from Beijing Zion Church, one of China's largest house churches, have been granted access to Bibles in detention after their lawyers secured an unusual concession from authorities in Beihai, Guangxi Province.
Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, the church's founder, became the first of 18 detained pastors and church workers to receive a Bible. Pastor Sun Cong was also given access to a Bible after his lawyer, Christian attorney Yang Hui, challenged detention-centre restrictions on religious texts.
Rather than simply objecting to the policy, Yang filed an application for administrative reconsideration. The Beihai municipal government responded in writing, after which he was permitted to deliver a Bible to Sun.
Bob Fu, founder of the US-based religious freedom organisation ChinaAid, said the written response could have wider implications.
"The greatest significance of this action is that it has established a legal precedent in a formal written form," he said, adding that it "means that in the future, family members or defence attorneys of other imprisoned Chinese Christians may be able to use the same lawful channel to deliver Bibles into prisons."
The development comes amid an ongoing crackdown on Beijing Zion Church. Authorities shut down the church's Beijing premises in 2018 after it refused to install government surveillance equipment, although the congregation continued to meet through smaller gatherings and online ministry.
In October 2025, a coordinated series of arrests saw 18 pastors and church workers detained in Beihai, where they remain in custody. Several lawyers connected to the case have reportedly faced professional sanctions.
Detention centres in China commonly cite security or administrative reasons when denying detainees access to religious materials, making the cases involving Jin and Sun unusual.
Religious freedom advocates say it remains unclear whether the decision will lead to wider changes across the country. However, they argue it demonstrates that limited legal avenues remain available within China's administrative system, even in sensitive religious freedom cases.
Founded in 2007, Beijing Zion Church grew into one of China's most influential urban house churches before its closure in 2018.
ChinaAid was founded in 2002 and campaigns for religious freedom and the rule of law in China through legal support and international advocacy.