Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church is honored with the 2025 Democracy Service Medal for his steadfast faith and moral courage in defending freedom of belief under Chinese Communist Party rule. One of China’s most prominent house church leaders, Pastor Wang was arrested in 2018 and later sentenced to nine years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” A legal scholar and public intellectual before becoming a pastor in 2007, he built a thriving congregation in Chengdu that endured constant surveillance and harassment by authorities—yet continued to preach a message of truth, conscience, and human dignity.
The medal will be accepted on his behalf by Cao Yaxue, a leading Chinese human rights advocate and founder of China Change, a prominent platform that has been central to documenting and exposing the repression of house churches in China, including the experiences of Pastor Wang Yi and the Early Rain Covenant Church.
The Democracy Service Medal, presented by the National Endowment for Democracy, honors individuals whose personal commitment and lifetime of service have left an indelible mark on the cause of freedom. Past recipients include His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, and congressional leaders of both parties, underscoring that the defense of democracy is a shared American conviction rooted in liberty, justice, and human dignity.
Remarks by Cao Yaxue upon accepting the 2025 Democracy Service Medal on behalf of Pastor Wang Yi:
I’m honored to receive this award on behalf of Pastor Wang Yi. The website I run, ChinaChange.org, is dedicated to documenting the struggles of individuals and groups in China who are striving for freedom and rule of law. To that end, we have written extensively and conducted hundreds of hours of interviews to understand the strategies and motivations of China’s pro-democracy movement.
With that in mind, I can say that the house church movement in China, despite relentless repression, is one of the most dynamic and enduring drivers of social change because of its emphasis on human dignity, service, justice, and neighborly love. These are some of the values needed for democratic flourishing.
Now, I’d like to read a note from a member of the church:
Pastor Wang Yi’s imprisonment and all that our church has endured are not an isolated event. Nor is it confined to just the religious freedom of Christians in China. It is a microcosm of what countless Chinese prisoners of conscience are suffering today.We believe this award is also bestowed upon the brothers and sisters of Early Rain Covenant Church who remain steadfast in faith despite continuous persecution.
The award is also for the pastors of China’s many house churches who preach the Gospel at great personal risk.
In this award for Pastor Wang Yi, we see a recognition of all our compatriots who have paid the price for a freer, more just China, whether they are human rights lawyers, independent journalists, intellectuals, or ordinary citizens.
Thank you
