During the Cultural Revolution, Chinese Christians were fired from their jobs, expelled from schools and imprisoned. Their homes were plundered, and they were publicly humiliated. They faced torture and inhumane conditions in hard labor camps. Their countrymen rejected them, and they were falsely accused as American spies, counterrevolutionaries and criminals.

Today, the number of underground house churches in China is rapidly growing. China has experienced the fastest growing church movement in history.

Yet the persecution is not over. Christians are still regularly arrested and sent to prisons and labor camps. The U.S. State Department included China on its list of “Countries of Particular Concern”: nations designated as top violators of religious freedom.

All churches are required to register with the government, otherwise known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Those that refuse to register are considered subversive to the government.

For many Chinese believers, the demands required to register their churches are completely unreasonable. The 1994 “Measures for the Registration of the Places for Religious Activities” stipulate that applicants must demonstrate that they possess a permanent location, regular membership and legal source of income. For many believers, especially those in rural areas, these requirements make it impossible for them to meet together because of insufficient funds.