State church revokes ordination and position of detained pastor

China Aid
Translated by Carolyn Song. Written and edited in English by Brynne Lawrence.

(Hangzhou, Zhejiang—March 4, 2016) The local Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council (CCC) in China’s coastal Zhejiang issued two notices on Feb. 29 ousting an incarcerated pastor from his position of chairman of the local CCC and revoking his status as an officially-approved pastor.

On Feb. 29, the TSPM and CCC released two notices stating that they had officially revoked Gu “Joseph” Yuese’s position as a government-approved pastor and removed him as chairman of the provincial CCC. Translated versions of the documents published by the TSPM and CCC can be read in full below.

China Aid reports Gu’s story in order to expose religious freedom abuses and promote freedom of religion and rule of law in China.

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Considering that Gu Yuese was arrested according to the law, the 8th meeting of the Zhejiang Provincial Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the 7th section of the 6th meeting of the entire committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Chinese Christian Council’s was convened in Hangzhou on Feb 29, 2016. According to the related stipulations of the Regulations of the Chinese Christian Council, which all committee members voted on: to remove Gu Yuese from the positions of chairman, standing member and committee member of the Zhejiang Provincial Chinese Christian Council.


Gu Yuese, male, Han nationality, [who was] ordained as a pastor in January 1992, [was] arrested on Feb. 6, 2016 for embezzling funds and other economic crimes. According to the stipulations of Article 25 of the Chinese Christian Church Regulations and Article 14 of the and Methods of Determining Chinese Christian Personnel, this year’s 11th [meeting] of the standing committee of Zhejiang’s two Christian associations decided to expel him from the holy position of pastor and, at the same time, put [it] on the religious affairs bureau’s record, according to the existing provisions.

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