Ling’s Underground Church

“The enemy does not rest, and the spiritual battle grows ever more intense,” Matian* shared urgently. “Recently, more than 10 [church] co-workers in the region were detained and questioned about Christian activities from past years. Please pray for them on their journey of faith.”

As an Open Doors local partner serving rural minority communities in Southwest China, Matian often hears stories marked by both hardship and radiant faith. During a recent discipleship training supported by Open Doors, those stories came alive again—especially through the testimony of Ling*. Listening to believers like her opened a window into the unseen realities of Christian minorities in China—their struggles, resilience and the ways God moves in their churches.

“Their devotion painted a moving picture that deeply stirred my heart,” Matian reflects.

In the training event, Ling’s story stood out—a vivid portrait of courage and perseverance in Christ, shaped by the complex interplay of ethnic culture, faith and authority…

From brokenness to boldness— meeting Jesus

Ling and her husband Song* grew up in a remote mountain village within an ethnic minority community in Southwest China. Fifteen years ago, after entering a marriage arranged by their parents (like many couples from their background), Ling and Song moved to a nearby town in search of work. From the start, their marriage lacked emotional connection and mutual understanding. Soon, their relationship grew strained.

But life changed the day they were invited to a local church in town.
“That day in church, something stirred in my heart,” Ling recalled. “The message of hope, love and forgiveness spoke directly to our brokenness. For the first time, I found a solution for our marriage.” Song was drawn in, too.
As the couple began to attend gatherings and see their faith grow, so did their love. They learned to understand, support and empathize with one another. Moved by the beauty of the gospel, an internal longing was growing in both their hearts: If only our parents and relatives in the village could hear this Good News.

A daring thought emerged—what if they moved back home to share the gospel? They knew the path ahead would be daunting. Their village’s ethnic traditions—rooted in ancestor worship and shamanic practices—were centuries old, deeply ingrained in their community’s identity. The opposition would be fierce. And a question lingered: Would they be able to endure all opposition for the sake of following Jesus?
Ling hesitated, fearing the consequences. But Song stood firm. “Let’s take the adventure. I’m tired of my father’s sorcery,” he told her. “Only the gospel can set people free.”

The cost of faith—a family rift

Reality proved even harsher and quicker than expected. At the first mention of “God,” their parents and relatives erupted—accusing Ling and Song of betrayal.

The conflict peaked one day during preparations for ancestral rites (an event central to their ethnic culture and inseparable from ancestor worship). More than 10 relatives, including Song’s parents, pressured Ling to participate.

Song was away at Bible class. Ling stood alone.

"The pressure on me was immense,” she shared. “When I refused [to be involved], my husband’s younger brother exploded in rage, unable to accept that I—'a weak woman’—would dare to defy the authority of the family. He pointed at me, hurled insults and even threatened to hit me. I was afraid and weeping, yet in my heart I prayed to God for help.”

Song’s brother called Ling’s husband—considered the family’s representative—intending to report Ling’s “defiance.” But Song’s voice and decision was clear: “We believe in Jesus now—we no longer take part in ancestral worship,” he told his brother.

From that moment on, Ling’s family has lived in isolation. For years, they endured insults and exclusions from family elders and relatives. They were even barred from Chinese New Year reunion dinners. In a village where survival hinges on kinship, their faith in Jesus set them apart, making their lives increasingly difficult and vulnerable.

The miracle that changed everything

But God was not finished with Ling, Song—or their families.

Sometime later, Ling and Song’s 6-year-old son lost two sheep while tending to the family’s flock. Terrified of being punished, he drank the leftover pesticide he saw on the table, intending to end his life. The family rushed him to the village clinic, but the doctors said there was no hope. Panic gripped the entire family. Even Ling’s father-in-law—renowned in the village for healing through sorcery and shamanic rituals—was powerless.

Ling and Song prayed fervently, and the local believers who had led them to Christ joined in urgent intercession. For more than 10 days, their son hovered between life and death—until a miracle came. He recovered fully, leaving everyone, even the doctors, astonished.

Amazed by God’s power, Ling’s father-in-law removed all incense, idols, ancestral worship items and tools of witchcraft from his house and trusted Christ. The decisive act became a shining beacon slashing through the darkness. Witnessing the miracle of his grandson’s healing and inspired by his turnaround, dozens of relatives chose to follow Christ too.

“After some years, everything changed dramatically,” says Ling, her dark eyes glistening. “[The incident] revealed the mighty power of God—our whole family came to Christ!” It was a living fulfillment of Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

News of the former shaman’s dramatic transformation spread quickly throughout the village. Shock, doubt and even anger rippled among the people. Soon, Song’s large family faced the same rejection, isolation and harsh criticism that Ling and Song felt. Many lamented Ling’s father-in-law’s renunciation of witchcraft, believing the family had abandoned tradition and embraced a cult.

The growth of a house church

Despite villagers’ gossip and isolation, the family’s faith grew deeper and wider. They clung to their faith. Moreover, they carried it outward, looking for opportunities to tell others about Jesus. Some of the women Ling shared with listened quietly, their hearts visibly stirred by the promise of eternal hope. Yet fear bound them. In this village, if a husband does not believe, his wife dares not choose differently.

Still, God was at work.

Through Ling’s family, gatherings began—small, fragile, yet alive. Secret meetings took place in humble homes between mud walls. Believers often walked for hours just to join. The group was small, yet every gathering pulsed with fervor, Ling remembers, as voices rose in praise and prayers filled the room.

Years passed, and the number of believers in their fellowship grew slowly but steadily.

With growth came the need for shepherds. Together, with a few others, Song and his group became leaders of the house church. They joined a local missionary team dedicated to sharing the gospel with ethnic minorities in the southwest region. Their mountain community became one hub of this ministry—a place of nurture and care.

But the growth came with intensified scrutiny from authorities—more oppressive than the community pressure they experienced for betraying cultural traditions.

Oppression from authorities

When Ling shares about her family’s salvation and testimony, she speaks freely. But when asked about the government pressure she endures, her demeanor changes. Fear clouds her voice.

Matian shares that earlier, Ling had declined his request to connect on WeChat during the discipleship training and also refused a visit [to her home]. Ling leans in and whispers, “My WeChat’s being watched. The village authorities don’t like us to connect with believers outside.”

Fuxi*, Open Doors’ contact who facilitated the discipleship training and leads the local missionary team—often the only safe point of contact for Ling and other village ministry workers—explains, “Rural minority believers like Ling face long-term surveillance by the authorities. Ling and a few believers attended this training quietly, without informing the rest of the village.”

Fuxi continues, “Villagers who convert to Christianity often face the loss of government welfare subsidies, a heavy burden for those already struggling with poverty. At the same time, home gatherings are declared illegal by the authorities, who deploy personnel to monitor these meeting places and restrict Christian activities. In recent years, such gatherings have been raided multiple times, forcing believers to constantly change the time and location of their meetings to avoid surveillance.”

House churches under increasing pressure

This year, gatherings in Ling’s community and other ethnic minority regions in Southwest China have grown increasingly risky. Fuxi reports that believers and house churches are facing intensified suppression from authorities.

Last summer, house gatherings were severely disrupted. On one occasion, police raided a fellowship at a leader’s home. The leader was taken away, interrogated, warned and detained for eight days for “illegally organizing religious activities.”

In another case, a couple who hosted home gatherings and led online devotions and Bible studies was summoned for questioning. During the interrogation, police presented printed records of their online group chats. Accused of “illegally organizing online preaching” and “illegally organizing religious activities,” the husband was detained for roughly 12 days.

Soon after, three local co-workers were questioned for the simple act of posting a video of the trio singing hymns online.

Another co-worker faced repeated interrogation that eventually forced his family to relocate to avoid further scrutiny.

“Our ministry has suffered a serious setback,” Fuxi says. “We had to cancel several planned training meetings with our co-workers recently. Those previously detained continue to receive warning phone calls from the police. As a result, the situation has become quite tense and unsafe.”

Walking alongside them on their journey

As the church in this region of China faces increasing pressure, forcing them further underground, God is using Open Doors’ local partners and missionary team to come alongside village believers like Ling. Since last year, our persecution-preparedness and other discipleship trainings have helped deepen believers’ understanding of God’s Word, strengthened their faith amid persecution, and provided encouragement that they are not alone.

Over the past months, our partners and contacts have risked their lives to faithfully visit Ling’s family and the village co-workers who were recently detained. Because of your prayers and support, they can travel to them and offer practical aid, comfort, prayers and renewed hope.

At the discipleship training where Ling shared her story, Matian noted, “Seeing the fruit of our ‘people-to-people’ ministry (one of Open Doors’ seven core values is being ‘people-to-people’) is touching. We hope more will join to walk with village believers and help strengthen them.”

As the Lord declares in Isaiah 43:19:

*Representative names used for security reasons.

*Top image: representative only