b'CONGREGATIONAL POLARITIESIn the third Congregational Conversation and the final survey in February 2022, the search committee specifically asked for information about where our church finds itself on a series of polarities that characterize typical congregations. The committee collected data on these polarities at two points: first, regarding where congregants think we are at present, and second, where we would like for our church to go in the future. Overall, congregants expressed that First Baptist presently stands in a generally balanced position within each of these polarities and that such balance should continue in the future, with some slight shifts in a few cases, as indicated in the following charts.INTERNAL EXTERNAL INTERNAL EXTERNALFOCUS FOCUS FOCUS FOCUSFBC Today FBC in the FutureAVERAGE: 3.3 AVERAGE: 2.93One polarity places our church on a scale between an internal focus (directed toward needs within the congregation) and an external focus (directed toward needs in the larger community). Our church as a whole believes that we presently have a balanced internal and external focus with a lean towards an external emphasis. With regard to the future, the church expressed that we should continue to have a balance between the two polarities, but lean toward a somewhat stronger internal focus.12'