Tensions between the Chinese government and Chinese Christians have been steadily increasing for years, with the government now using tactics like increased surveillance, house arrest, and eviction to suppress the spread of the gospel. One U.S.-based ministry is using political advocacy to bring relief to suffering Christians and other persecuted peoples in China.
The Luke Alliance connects the Chinese house church, the American church, and national governments, especially the U.S. government. The ministry uses its network of relationships in Washington, D.C., and beyond to raise awareness for persecuted Christians in China. Through the power of international diplomacy and government advocacy, it aims to provide relief for persecuted Christians.
Leading the Luke Alliance is its founder and president, Corey Jackson. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Auburn University in 1998. He then moved to China to study Mandarin and serve as a missionary with his wife, Olivia. During their time in China, the Jacksons witnessed God’s incredible work in China as they helped to launch several campus ministries and plant a church.
But during this time, Jackson began to witness the persecution. Some of the Chinese Christian student leaders that he served with were questioned by the government, prompting the Jacksons to relocate to another Chinese city from 2004 to 2005. Eventually, they relocated back to the U.S., where Jackson earned his Master of Divinity degree at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando. He later planted and now serves as senior pastor of Trinity Park Church, a multicultural church in Cary, North Carolina. He recently announced he will transition this year from his pastoral position to work full-time for the Luke Alliance.
Although he no longer lives beside Chinese believers, Jackson has found new opportunities to impact the spread of the gospel in China from right here in America. It started in December 2018 when he gave a report on Capitol Hill concerning the arrest of Pastor Wang Yi. On December 9, 2018, Wang Yi along with 36 other leaders from Early Rain Covenant Church were detained on criminal charges. One of those jailed believers was a woman who was a longtime friend of Jackson and his wife. Her imprisonment meant that her young child would be left alone with no parent to attend to him.
Knowing this serious situation, Jackson decided to focus his advocacy efforts on her case. During his report, he received a message from the White House that they were interested in learning more about this situation, marking the unofficial beginning of the Luke Alliance. By June 2019, behind-the-scenes diplomatic conversations between the U.S. and Chinese officials led to the woman’s release.
State Department officials told Jackson that if it weren’t for his advocacy efforts, they would not have focused their efforts on freeing her.
“I was blown away that someone like me, an average pastor, can have an impact,” he said. “This strategy works. People’s lives can change… There are people in Washington who want to listen to Christians and learn about persecution across the world.”
The release of his friend showed Jackson the incredible impact that an advocacy ministry could have. In 2020, progress slowed as COVID-19 spread and became the top priority of political leaders across the globe. In 2022, Dr. Rana Siu Inboden, a senior fellow with the Strauss Center at the University of Texas, Austin, joined the team as a consultant, helping Jackson further connections between the Luke Alliance and Washington officials. As a scholar and former diplomat who focuses on using international pressure to counter human rights abuses in China, she felt called to use her expertise and experience to bring relief to those suffering persecution in China.
Inboden had seen during her government career that with appropriate interventions, prisoners of conscience could be freed or at least afforded better treatment. She had devoted her career to studying ways to bring about respect for human rights in China. Through connections with other Christians, she and Jackson were introduced and resumed the advocacy that began before the pandemic. They started making trips to Washington, D.C., and made inroads with the State Department and concerned members of Congress.
In the past two years, Jackson and Inboden have spoken multiple times in Washington and other parts of the world to raise awareness for the persecuted church in China. Testifying on Capitol Hill, attending the National Prayer Breakfast, and speaking at a panel in Prague, they have shared the gospel to explain why these Chinese Christians endure suffering, as they follow the suffering servant, Jesus Christ. Inboden used opportunities to testify before Congress to raise awareness for the persecution that people like Pastor Wang suffer.
The Luke Alliance continues to develop relationships with U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle. Jackson said that he has had good relationships with both the Trump and Biden administrations, noting, “The persecution of the Chinese church is nonpartisan.”
Many of these relationships are key to the Luke Alliance’s work, and he hopes to continue his positive relationship with the incoming Trump administration. At the state level, Corey has connected with North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. Tillis has been very engaged with the Luke Alliance, even classifying Wang Yi as a high-level prisoner in order to further efforts for his release.
It’s not just politicians who need information about persecuted Chinese Christians. Jackson recently visited Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He discussed his ministry, shared about his experience in China, and led church members to write letters to Alabama Sen. Katie Britt to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution.
Bryan Wintersteen, Briarwood’s global missions pastor, emphasized the importance of the global church. He echoed Hebrews 13:3, saying, “The Scripture teaches that we are one body. When one body suffers, we all suffer… When one of our brothers is imprisoned, we should pray and think of them as if we ourselves are in prison, considering their plight personally.”
Despite the polarization in Washington, political leaders on both sides of the aisles acknowledge and take seriously China’s growing threat. The Luke Alliance has benefited from this sentiment.
“Standing with Chinese Christians is of strategic interest to Christians at work in Washington since they can point to the Christians’ mistreatment as evidence of China’s human rights violations,” Jackson said.
The Luke Alliance has also developed a ministry caring for the emotional and legal needs of persecuted Chinese Christians. It partners with like-minded organizations that offer counseling services in China for those facing PTSD and with Chinese Christian attorneys who are willing to stand with persecuted Christians. The Luke Alliance also works with a large Reformed network of churches in China and funds pastoral care teams within this network who travel to care for pastors and church members facing acute persecution.
The Luke Alliance’s care for the Chinese persecuted church also extends to the U.S., where a record number of Chinese Christians are finding refuge, nearly all of whom need counseling, legal support, and pastoral support. In the past year, the Luke Alliance has also expanded its work to help asylum seekers find refuge in America, developing care networks so asylum seekers can recover from trauma, adjust to life in a new country, and ultimately flourish in American churches.
The Luke Alliance fills a need by enlightening not only government leaders but also American churches. Through advocacy and awareness, the Luke Alliance hopes American Christians will pray for their Chinese brothers and sisters, share their stories, and stand alongside them as one body in Christ.
Jonathan Presley is the marketing and communications coordinator for Young Business Leaders Ministries in Birmingham, Alabama.