As we try to give time to each of these communities, we spread ourselves thin. We don't get to know people well. We feel lonely even though we meet dozens of people every week. Solving this problem can't rest entirely on the shoulders of the church. Personally, I'd like to see a church that spends less time trying to make itself another community, and more time teaching me how to find the best community among the people I already have.
Community is something that people feel they are part of.
Most of what we call community, whether its church or something else mostly fails to create a real sense of belonging. I know that there are lots trying, but we really don't want to get too close, too open for fear of getting burnt. A community is where we can feel comfortable being ourselves, where there is no pressure to conform, where we can be accepted without judgement. Sorry this doesn't really answer the question. I don't have to smile and pretend things are OK when I attend church leadership meetings having spent the last week cleaning blood of my mum's carpet because my brother went mad on drugs and beat her up.