Pastor Zhang Sen (张森) is a Protestant pastor of the Wheat Seed Reformed Church (麦种归正教会), a Presbyterian house church in the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Fuyang City, Anhui Province.
The Wheat Seed Reformed Church held a house-church position in matters of faith and openly refused to join the government-administered “Three-Self” church system. In 2018, Pastor Zhang joined the “Pastoral Joint Statement: A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu’s Early Rain Covenant Church.
According to Weiquanwang’s report, the church first came under police pressure in August 2021, when it was raided by police from Yingzhou District, Fuyang. In the years that followed, Pastor Zhang was repeatedly targeted: he was beaten, placed under close surveillance, frequently summoned for “tea” (informal police questioning), and followed over extended periods. In March 2024, after he and other believers prayed outside a detention center to welcome eight released Christians, he was detained for 15 days on the stated grounds that the prayer had not been reported in advance.
On June 29, 2025, police raided the church during worship and detained Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao. Pastor Zhang was not at the service that day, but on July 9, 2025, Fuyang police arrested him at a friend’s home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, across provincial lines. He was held at the Fuyang City Detention Center.
On August 10, 2026, the Yingzhou District People’s Court of Fuyang convicted Pastor Zhang, Pastor Chang Shun, and Elder Ma Tao of “organizing illegal gatherings.” Pastor Zhang was sentenced to 1 year and 7 months, with his term ending on January 24, 2027. The trial had taken place on June 9–12, 2026. Reporting by the Christian Daily, citing the family’s copy of the verdict and the defense lawyers, states that the three defendants denied the charges. On August 14, the three families issued a public statement saying the men were convicted “because of faith” and would appeal.
Media profile & archive: Pastor Zhang Sen — Media Profile & Archive
Sources: 维权网, August 14, 2026; Christian Daily, August 15, 2026; 维权网 Issue 131 monthly report, August 31, 2026. No official court document has been published; appeal outcome unknown.