This house church in Sri Lanka was forced to close. csi
The congregation has been worshipping in the area for more than three decades, local partners of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) report. However, since 2025, a series of complaints has resulted in multiple visits by police officers and investigators, causing uncertainty and concern among church members.
For their own protection, we are withholding the name of the church and its pastor.
Police disrupt worship
In the latest incident, in May 2026, a neighbor lodged a complaint through a police hotline alleging that the church was operating unlawfully. In response, while Sunday worship was taking place, six police officers arrived and questioned the pastor about the church’s registration status.
The officers requested registration documents and inquired about the number of worshipers attending services as well as the use of sound equipment.
The pastor produced documentation showing that the church was affiliated with and registered under its denomination. Despite this, the pastor was instructed to attend the district police station later that day together with the complainant.
Court summons
The pastor was subsequently instructed to appear before the Magistrate’s Court a few days later. He attended court as directed and waited for several hours. However, the case was not heard. According to information later provided to the pastor, no additional evidence or supporting witnesses had been produced.
Although the court proceedings were suspended, inquiries regarding the church’s registration persisted.
Later in May, two officers attached to the Criminal Investigation Department visited the church and once again asked to examine registration documents. The officers questioned church leaders regarding the congregation and worship activities.
Less than three weeks later, in mid-June, the police again visited the church to follow up on the earlier complaint. Officers questioned church representatives about whether worship services were continuing and requested further information regarding the church and its pastor. Police also photographed the church’s registration documents.
While no charges have been filed and no legal order has been issued preventing worship services, church leaders remain concerned about the repeated questioning and scrutiny they have faced despite providing registration documents on multiple occasions.
Severe restrictions on places of worship
Being free to establish and operate places of worship is central to exercising freedom of religion. Yet in Sri Lanka this remains difficult for certain religious minorities, especially smaller Christian groups.
CSI’s partners report that the most pressing challenge for the church at present concerns the registration of places of worship. Since 2013, more than 100 churches across Sri Lanka have reportedly been asked by local authorities to register or to discontinue worship services.
The requirement for registration, though framed as a voluntary measure, has in practice evolved into a mandatory requirement for churches, our partners say.
In 2022, the government issued a “circular,” which obliges all religious groups to obtain ministry permission to register or build new places of worship. Although such circulars lack a basis in law, authorities have used the 2022 circular to order an end to house-based worship, CSI’s partners report.
Difficulty in obtaining permission
The current registration system requires that churches obtain approval from multiple government offices, at the level of district, division, and ministry.
The conditions attached to registration also present significant barriers. A primary requirement is ownership of the property used for worship. Many small congregations, especially in rural or economically marginalized areas, meet in rented houses, temporary structures, or shared spaces. They are therefore unable to satisfy ownership criteria.
As of February 2026, despite there being over 2,000 applications from new congregations, not a single church has received registration from Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs.
CSI raises issue at the UN
In September 2025, CSI highlighted Sri Lanka’s new, severe restrictions on places of worship in a statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Since 2022, the government has added vague and complex requirements for registering places of worship, which have forced some churches to discontinue worship services, and have left Christians exposed to violence without legal recourse,” CSI said.
