Pastor Lian Xuliang, Pastor Lian Changnian and church member Fu Juan were taken into custody last Sunday by the First Branch of the Xi’an Municipal Public Security Bureau, according to the watchdog organization ChinaAid.
The arrests were approved by the Baqiao District Court, and the three are currently held at the Weiyang District Detention Center, the group added.
The arrests mark a repeat of legal action against the same individuals, who were previously detained on similar fraud charges on Aug. 17, 2022. They were held for nearly three years before being released on bail in April 2025.
Pastor Lian Changnian, who is 71 years old, had been receiving hospital care for declining health before being taken into custody again earlier this month.
“This case was tried on July 9, 2025, and no verdict has yet been issued,” the Church of Abundance, where the three serve, said in a statement last week. “What is shocking is that while awaiting the verdict, the authorities took the three individuals away again and detained them.”
The church, also known as Fengsheng Church, was founded approximately 30 years ago and was officially banned in August 2022 by the Xi’an Civil Affairs Bureau on the grounds that it was an “illegal social organization,” according to ChinaAid. It is one of several unregistered Protestant churches in China that have come under increased government scrutiny following President Xi Jinping’s December 2021 directive for greater control over religious groups.