We recently spoke with Dr. Ike Reighard—Senior Pastor of Piedmont Church in Marietta, GA—about how they were able to revive Piedmont Church when it was on the brink of closing its doors due to a $600,000 HVAC repair, mildew infested carpets, and a large facility in need of repair.

Here’s the full interview:

In the interview Dr. Reinhard outlines a process they followed, which allowed them to bounce back. And, not only bounce back but increase regular giving, fund new renovations, and now have three new, fully funded ministries.

Here are three tips for revitalizing a dying church:

Phase 1: Spiritual Preparation

Step 1: Define the reality of where you’re at in terminology your congregation can understand. One of the most difficult things for anyone to do, is confront the facts and have, as Dr. Reighard said, courageous conversations.

Step 2: Seek the Lord about what He’d have your church do. When Nehemiah was tasked with rebuilding the wall, he prayed, fasted, and waited on God before taking action in any way.

Phase 2: Tactical Preparation

Step 3: Get your general fund giving in order.

In the interview Dr. Reighard mentioned how a Christmas offering helped them take the biggest offering of the year. While you don’t have time to fully execute a year-end Christmas offering, there are a few things you can still do:

Find 2-3 things that need funding in your church and highlight how it’s going to impact your community, not just your church.

Make your offering time a part of the worship service, not an afterthought. When you do this, it helps your congregation see how their giving is impacting people.

Through effectively implementing Christmas coaching and Giving Rocket, Piedmont Church was able to make the necessary repairs to their campus, incorporate live streaming of worship services on Sunday mornings, renovate a new student space, and build out their children’s ministry.

And, they open their facilities for free to the public as an outreach initiative in the community.

Where is your church? Maybe you’re facing some of the same challenges Piedmont was. Learn how Giving Rocket can help revitalize your church now.