A Conversation on Israel's Hidden Faith Crisis with Chad Holland

If you’ve ever felt torn in your love for Israel—praying Psalm 122:6 every week yet secretly wondering, “What do I make of everything that has recently happened?”—you are not alone. In this week's episode of Backstage with Randy Phillips, Randy interviews Pastor Chad Holland, a Texas-raised Messianic Jewish pastor who moved his family to Jerusalem, became Israeli citizens, and now leads one of the largest believing congregations in the entire country.
In one conversation he shatters every assumption we’ve carried from afar: 70 % of Israelis are completely secular and don’t believe in any God, the fiercest persecution against believers comes not from Muslims or atheists but from parts of the Orthodox community, and out of almost 10 million citizens there are only about 22,000 Jewish and Arab followers of Yeshua—yet in the middle of rocket alerts, mandatory military drafts at 16, and a media war that never tells the full story, God is quietly, powerfully on the move.

Pastor Chad grew up in Houston, married into a Jewish family, and heard God tell him and his wife separately that it was time to return to the homeland. Fourteen years after becoming citizens, he now leads a network of congregations that has grown from 400–500 people to campuses in 70 locations across Israel. But “Shalom, y’all” doesn’t quite land the same in Jerusalem. The culture shock was real, and the spiritual statistics are staggering.

Out of 9.75 million Israeli citizens, roughly 22,000 follow Yeshua as Messiah. That’s one-fifth of one percent. Pastor Chad says, “We’re not big on street evangelism anymore—it just brings more persecution. Instead, we meet needs: food banks for new immigrants, hot meals, music schools, prayer centers. When you meet a real need, the heart opens fast.” It’s straight out of the Gospels—feed them, heal them, love them… then tell them who Yeshua is.

If you think the pushback and persecution comes from the 70% secular Israelis or from Muslim communities, you would actually be wrong. The fiercest opposition (threats, pepper-spray attacks, destroyed sanctuaries) comes from parts of the Orthodox Jewish community who see Messianic Jewish believers in Jesus as the ultimate threat to their religious system—exactly like the Pharisees saw Jesus in the book of Acts. Pastor Chad has been personally attacked multiple times. Yet he still chooses love, prayer, and boldness.

Pastor Chad’s favorite approach? Stick to the Tanakh (Old Testament) only.

• Who walked with Adam in the garden?
• Who ate lunch with Abraham and was called Adonai?
• Who was the fourth man in the fiery furnace?
• Who wrestled Jacob and blessed him? Every time the text says “it was God,” but rabbis teach “it was an angel.” Chad gently asks: “Do you trust the rabbi who wasn’t there… or the eyewitness patriarch who was?” That one question has sent many Orthodox Jews back to the Scriptures searching.

Pastor Chad is clear: Israel has a covenant calling that no secular government can erase. Romans 11 is still in the Bible—the last great revival will come through Israel. But he also admits the pain: Israel won the ground war but lost the media war badly. Hamas numbers are swallowed whole by the world, while the extraordinary steps Israel takes to protect civilians (leaflets, texts, door-to-door warnings) never make the news. As believers, we can hold both truths: grieve every innocent life lost and still stand on God’s unbreakable promises.

Pastor Chad’s son is 16—already drafted. In Israel today, boys and girls serve a minimum of 2½ years starting at 18, and almost everyone sees combat. He told a story of missiles and drones coming in at 1 a.m.; in the chaos, the family ran to the basement bomb shelter. His kids acted like it was just another Tuesday. He was proud… and heartbroken that this is their “normal.”
Yet in the middle of it all, he says, “We bathe them in prayer. By God’s grace not one soldier from any of our campuses has been hurt.” If you’re a parent wondering how to raise kids with bold faith in a scary world, this conversation will strengthen you more than you can imagine.

Yes, the persecution is real. Yes, the media war is brutal. But God is still on the throne in Jerusalem. He is raising up a generation of Jewish and Arab believers who know Yeshua, love their people, and refuse to quit. And the best news? The same Holy Spirit who filled the upper room thousands of years ago is getting ready to do it again—only this time on a scale we can barely imagine!

Don’t miss this episode. Grab your headphones, open your Bible, and watch or listen to the full conversation right now. It will rekindle your love for Israel, deepen your prayer life, and remind you that our God still moves powerfully in the hardest places.