The Annual Review Document

The story goes that Winston Churchill was asked how long it took to prepare a speech lasting 30 minutes. He replied that it would take many days to prepare such a speech. Asked how long it took to prepare a speech of three hours Churchill replied: "When do you want me to start?" The story may be apocryphal but the principle is sound. If you have only a short time to say something important, know what you want to say and don't waste words.

At the Annual Review a church may have just one service or one Sunday (maybe two) to speak about giving as a fundamental issue of personal discipleship and the financial provision for the needs of the church. The Annual Review Document provides a disciplined framework for knowing what needs to be said clearly and is a modified version of the Case Statement. For further reflection see the additional discussion paper on the case statement.

• Achievements, learning and priorities: Section 1 reviews the impact and achievements of Giving in Grace and identifies areas of progress and of concern. See Achievements and Learning for guidance in completing this element. Section 1 also provides a framework for identifying key areas of ministry that need to be addressed in the coming year. See Planning for Ministry for guidance in completing this element of Section 1.
• Weekly giving and use of reserves: Section 2 analyses the patterns of weekly giving and the use of reserves as diagnostic tools. See Annual Review: Financial Information
• The financial position of the church: Section 3 provides a simple framework for drawing financial conclusions from the analysis. See Annual Review: Financial Conclusions.
• The parish plan: Section 4 is the parish plan or budget that sets out the financial underpinning of the church's ministry and mission. See The Parish Plan.
• The design of Review Sunday: Section 5 provides an outline of the core elements of Review Sunday: preaching, prayer, leadership, communication and interaction. See The design of Review Sunday.