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The authorities in China have detained the pastor of one of the country’s most prominent underground churches, along with dozens of other people affiliated with his church, according to the pastor’s family and members of the church, prompting worries about a renewed crackdown on religion.

The pastor, Jin Mingri, who also goes by the name Ezra, founded Beijing Zion Church in 2007. It grew into one of the country’s largest unofficial congregations, with several satellite campuses and over 1,000 people attending its weekend services.

Mr. Jin, 56, was detained on Friday at his home in the city of Beihai in Guangxi Province, according to his daughter, Grace Jin, who lives in the United States. Around the same time, nearly 30 other Zion Church pastors or workers were taken into custody or went missing around the country, including in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities, she said.

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In recent months, […] surveillance on Mr. Jin seemed to have ramped up, Ms. Jin [who is Mr. Jin daughter who lives in the US] said. In September, the government issued new regulations limiting religious activity online to officially registered channels.

Mr. Jin had also suggested to the state security officers monitoring him that he might retire from Zion so that he could join his family, Ms. Jin said. But she said the officers refused to let him leave.

“After this kind of posturing, it seemed like something big was going to happen again,” Ms. Jin said. “We just didn’t know when or to what extent. But I also feel like my dad is always the optimist.” She added, “He is sort of like, ‘Well I can’t live in fear every day, so I’m just going to continue on with what I need to do.’”

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Corey Jackson, the founder of Luke Alliance, a U.S.-based group that advocates for persecuted Christians in China, said that the detentions were “without a doubt” the biggest crackdown on Christianity in China since 2018.

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