2000 - Wang Zuomei

August 2000

Bairin Zuoqi, Inner Mongolia

Wang Zuomei was the leader of 52 house churches containing approximately 4,000 believers in the Bairin Zuoqi area of Inner Mongolia. The churches, comprised of both Han Chinese and ethnic Mongols, had been established in the previous three years, after people in the region first heard the gospel from house church evangelists who had travelled to Inner Mongolia from the city of Daqing in Heilongjiang Province. The new believers’ lives were changed by the powerful preaching they heard. Many miracles took place, including the complete healing of a man who was suffering from advanced leukaemia. The Christians prayed for the man just once. He went to the hospital and the doctors were astounded to report he had no traces of cancer left in his body!

The growing size and influence of the house churches soon came to the notice of the authorities. In 2000, Wang Zuomei was taken into the police station. The believers were concerned, but thought he would just be questioned and released. When he didn’t return that day the concerns deepened. A few days after the arrest, the Public Security Bureau claimed Wang had committed suicide while in custody, but everyone knew he had been tortured to death. The young Christians struggled greatly and couldn’t understand why God had allowed their beloved pastor to be killed. They felt there was no justice in the world. Their pastor was dead, and the government told lies to them, so some started to get disillusioned in their faith.

Among the 52 house churches were a few university graduates, who were trained to take over the leadership of the movement. By February 2001—just seven months after Wang’s martyrdom—his widow said the 52 churches had grown to 130 churches. She said:

“Our co-workers in Inner Mongolia are finding God moving with such incredible power that they don’t need to argue or convince people with words. There are so many miracles that the people can clearly see the truth of the Word of God confirmed through signs and wonders. I wish we had a video camera so we could show you some of the great miracles that are happening in Inner Mongolia!”[1]

After Wang’s death the other church leaders prayed to find God’s will. According to one of the leaders,

“We believed the Lord told us that we should sue the Inner Mongolian authorities over Wang’s death. We do not normally do such a thing but on this occasion, we were all convinced that this was what the Lord was leading us to do. We employed some lawyers and lodged a lawsuit against this unjust act. Wang had his wife, three children, and his elderly parents living under his roof and now there was no father or breadwinner in their family. The Central authorities in Beijing heard the case and reprimanded the PSB in Inner Mongolia for killing Wang. It appears Beijing told them to avoid any further incidents, and to treat Christians more carefully in the future. As a result, there is little or no persecution against the believers there now. The gospel is experiencing a free reign, and the new believers are satisfied that God has brought a measure of justice to the family of their slain pastor.”[2]

1. Personal interview, February 2001.
2. Personal interview, February 2001.