A Voice for the Voiceless: Equipping Advocates for Global Religious Freedom

Guests from all around the world joined together on University Hill to educate, pray, and advocate for those facing religious persecution at the third annual Global Religious Freedom Gathering. Hosted by the Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom (ECGRF), this event is one way advocates are using their voices to raise awareness and fight against religious persecution.

The Global Religious Freedom Gathering featured panelists, including pastors and representatives of various organizations, who challenged the audience to learn how to respond, pray, and engage the local church in the work of religious freedom.

Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear from Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, who faced religious persecution and imprisonment in China. Despite constant government pressure, Zion Church grew from 20 to 1,500 people since its founding in 2008, making it one of China's largest underground house-church networks.

As Dr. Randel Everett, founder of the ECGRF at DBU and its Senior Fellow for Religious Freedom, interviewed Pastor Jin, they spoke about the challenges the church is facing in places like China because of religious persecution. Pastor Jin's daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, who serves as the Director of Luke Alliance and is an advocate for religious freedom, joined the interview as his interpreter.

Nearly three out of four people worldwide experience religious persecution, which is seen in a variety of ways, including through violence, threats, or government restrictions. In China, the government has shut off building utilities, interrupted worship services through police invasions, and monitored the church more frequently by requiring church members to register and pressuring congregations to install facial-recognition cameras.

Pastor Jin reminded attendees that the persecution happening today is an issue involving human dignity, religious freedom, and the rights of individuals rather than a competition between China and the United States. In many places like China, persecution is not limited to Christians, but any religion outside of what the government deems permissible.

As Christian leaders in China began facing heightened government pressure, an initiative to shut down independent Christian worship, which targeted dozens of pastors and church members across China, led to Pastor Jin's arrest at his home in Beihai, Guangxi in October 2025. Pastor Jin was initially accused of illegally using an information network because his church was using Zoom to hold worship services, which reached 13,000–15,000 people.

While he was imprisoned, Pastor Jin argued against his charges as he realized his ministry did not fit the crimes of his sentencing. Following this, he was charged with allegations of fraud and illegal business operations.

Pastor Jin faced the potential of many years in prison, but with the direct intervention of the United States White House, the advocacy of political leaders, and the prayers of Christians all around the world, he was released in July 2026. Since his release, Pastor Jin sees each day as a gift from the Lord and intends to use his freedom to be the voice for the voiceless, which includes over 150 pastors and church leaders who remain imprisoned in China today.

As the interview concluded, Pastor Jin challenged the audience to unite, as there is unity in Christ, and to not remain passive to those who are suffering when you have the ability to act.

"Even if we don't do anything, God will provide for the family members and the people," Pastor Jin said. "But if we do not do anything when we could have done something, then one day we must also realize we will face God face to face."

Pastor Jin's story is one of many stories of people who are facing persecution today. He believes that those with religious freedom have a respondibility to learn from the persecuted church, emphasizing how they can use their own freedom to advocate and fight for those who do not hold the same freedom.

"Attempt great things for God," shared Knox Thames, DBU's Executive Director of the ECGRF. "If we attempt great things for God, we can see prison doors opened. If we attempt great things, we can see oppressive laws changed."

Whether through gaining wisdom, praying, or engaging through campaigns and with policymakers, every action contributes to advancing religious freedom.

Pointing back to DBU's mission of creating Christ-centered servant leaders and the Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom's mission to "inspire and equip students, churches, and policymakers to advance religious freedom for all," University Hill aims to remain a place where Christian advocates can come together to address religious persecution.