Pastor and Six Church Workers Detained in Wenzhou

Pastor David Tang, founder of the unregistered Purpose Driven Church in Wenzhou, was taken into custody by police on August 5 alongside a church financial administrator and five ministry workers. While reports indicate the arrests occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m., the detainees' current whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities have not disclosed specific charges against them. The group is currently being held incommunicado, preventing access to legal counsel or family members.

Purpose Driven Church, also known as Biaogan Church, is an independent congregation that has not joined the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Advocacy groups, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide and ChinaAid, have expressed deep concern over the detentions. Mervyn Thomas of Christian Solidarity Worldwide characterized the situation as an enforced disappearance and urged Chinese authorities to provide information on the detainees' legal status. Bob Fu of ChinaAid suggested that authorities are increasingly utilizing criminal or financial accusations to target independent church leaders, a strategy he describes as an effort to obscure systematic religious persecution within the region.