Chad Connelly slept in 180 different beds this past year, constantly traveling by plane from state to state in his relentless mission to mobilize America’s faith communities. As CEO of Faith Wins, the organization dedicated to maximizing faith-based voter turnout, Connelly knew he was witnessing something unprecedented—and the results spoke for themselves in November’s decisive election outcome.
“It’s like a weight has been lifted,” Connelly told Rabbi Rami Goldberg on the latest episode of Biblical Money, a podcast exploring how faith leaders navigate business and politics. “There’s a new feeling in America, and everybody everywhere you go, they have an expectation that America’s back.”
From Personal Tragedy to Political Mission
Connelly’s journey into political activism wasn’t born from ambition, but from profound personal loss. In 2006, his first wife took her own life, leaving him a single father to two young boys. His path to healing led him to meet Dana, a widow who had also lost her husband to suicide almost exactly two years earlier. Together, they blended their family of four children under 10 and discovered a shared passion for cultural engagement.
“We don’t always get that kind of blessing, but we did,” Connelly reflected on watching God work through their tragedy. “Dana shared the same passions I did about how to impact the culture for our kids.”
This personal transformation became the foundation for his professional mission. After serving as South Carolina’s state party chairman and later as the RNC’s first-ever National Director of Faith Engagement, Connelly launched Faith Wins in 2017 with a clear mandate: mobilize faith communities that had been taken for granted by politicians.
Breaking Down the Church-State Wall
One of the most compelling aspects of Connelly’s approach is his rejection of the traditional separation between faith and civic engagement. Drawing from Exodus 18:21, where Moses’ father-in-law advises selecting “able men, men of truth who fear God” as leaders, Connelly argues that America’s founding principles were explicitly biblical.
“I don’t see a place where my spiritual life stops and my political life starts—it all works together,” he explained. “The founding fathers in the constitutional convention quoted those verses, and it sounds a lot like national, state, county, and city government because it is.”
This philosophy has driven Faith Wins to work across religious boundaries, partnering with rabbis, pastors, and priests nationwide. Connelly emphasized that the organization focuses on shared biblical values rather than denominational differences: “We don’t have to agree on what time we go to church or which book we’re singing out of—we need to link arms about the things that are biblical.”
The Israel Connection
A particularly striking element of Connelly’s work is his emphasis on Christian support for Israel. Having served alongside Israeli tank corps members during his army service, Connelly has maintained a deep connection to the Jewish state throughout his career.
“The issue that comes up over and over in churches—people want to talk about life, marriage, but they want to talk about Israel,” he noted. “They know we have an obligation, and they know the word’s clear: ‘Blessed are those who bless Israel, cursed are those who curse Israel.'”
To strengthen this connection, Faith Wins regularly organizes trips for Christian leaders to visit Israel. Connelly is planning to bring 20 pastors and their wives to the Holy Land in April, continuing a tradition aimed at connecting “head and heart knowledge” about America’s relationship with its Middle Eastern ally.
Looking Forward: The Work Has Just Begun
Despite the recent electoral success, Connelly warns against complacency. Drawing parallels to the biblical King Josiah, who implemented godly reforms only to see the next generation forget them, he emphasizes that cultural change requires sustained effort.
“Our problem as people of faith: we win, we quit; we lose, we quit. Let’s quit quitting,” he said, quoting the late Jerry Falwell. “The problems that America, Israel, and the world face are generational problems. There’s a birth rate crisis, an illegal immigrant crisis, a globalist crisis—these are going to take more than four years to solve.”
As Faith Wins enters its ninth year, Connelly’s message to religious leaders remains urgent: stay engaged, register voters, and teach congregants to vote their values. For a man who has turned personal tragedy into national purpose, the mission is far from over—it’s just getting started.
The full interview with Chad Connelly is available on Biblical Money, hosted by Rabbi Rami Goldberg.
