A year after three leaders of a Chinese house church were detained, their families are making another appeal for help—this time to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The wives of three detained leaders of Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui Province, have asked Trump to raise their husbands’ cases with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their anticipated September summit.
The appeal comes as the families continue to seek the release of Pastor Zhang Sen, Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao, who have been detained since 2025.
Wives of Detained Chinese Pastors Appeal to Trump
Xu Chao, Li Yunyan and Li Mei issued an open letter dated August 5, 2026, urging Trump to intervene diplomatically on behalf of their husbands.
The three women said they hope the upcoming meeting between Trump and Xi will provide an opportunity to discuss the detention of the church leaders and broader concerns surrounding religious freedom for Christians in China.
The pastors and elder are leaders of Maizhong Reformed Church, an unregistered Reformed Presbyterian congregation that operates outside China’s officially recognized religious structures.
According to the families, the three men were detained on allegations of “organizing illegal gatherings.”
However, their supporters argue that the activities cited in the case involved ordinary expressions of Christian faith and community life.
Why Were the Church Leaders Detained?
The families say the case involves activities including welcoming Christians who had been released from administrative detention, conducting a Christian wedding ceremony, home education by Christian families and believers gathering for prayer in private residences.
Their lawyers have reportedly maintained that such activities constitute peaceful religious expression.
The case was heard on June 9 and 10 before the People’s Court of Yingzhou District in Fuyang.
According to the families, the court later extended the case by three months for supplementary investigation after disagreements emerged over evidence presented during the proceedings.
The continued detention has left the pastors’ wives and their families appealing for international attention.
Families Previously Appealed to Trump
This is not the first time the families have sought Trump’s involvement.
The women previously appealed to the U.S. president during his May visit to China, asking him to attend their husbands’ court proceedings.
In their latest letter, they also expressed appreciation for previous U.S. government efforts that they believe contributed to the release of other religious prisoners and dissidents.
They are now asking Trump to take the matter directly to Xi Jinping.
The families argued that people should be able to live according to their faith and worship according to their conscience without being treated as criminals.
They also proposed that Trump invite Xi to visit a church in the United States, expressing hope that greater exposure to Christian worship could help address what they described as misunderstandings surrounding China’s unregistered churches.
Concerns Over Christianity and Religious Freedom in China
The case involving Maizhong Reformed Church is part of a much broader conversation about religious freedom in China.
China officially recognizes several religious traditions, but churches and Christian congregations operating outside the state-controlled religious system can face restrictions, surveillance, detention and prosecution.
Maizhong Reformed Church previously joined a 2018 declaration by Chinese pastors calling for the separation of church and state and opposing participation in China’s state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Christian advocacy organizations have continued to draw attention to the situation of unregistered churches and Christians who choose to worship independently of government-approved religious structures.
What Happens Next?
The families are now looking toward the anticipated Trump-Xi meeting as a potential opportunity for diplomatic pressure.
As of the report, there had been no public response from the White House or the Chinese Embassy in Washington to the families’ latest appeal.
For Xu Chao, Li Yunyan and Li Mei, however, the appeal represents more than a diplomatic request. It is an effort to keep international attention focused on their husbands and the wider question of religious freedom for Christians in China.
Their appeal also places the detention of the three church leaders within a larger debate over the rights of Christians who worship outside China’s officially recognized religious institutions.
For the families, the hope remains that international attention - and particularly direct engagement between world leaders - could ultimately lead to the release of their husbands.
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