o friendships I had cherished were built on a foundation of conformity rather than genuine connection.

Wow, i have never thought about friendships at church that way. It seems to me that there are two type of social interactions where we go to church. One is when you are there to attend a service or there to serve in some capacity. The other interaction is via social media. Other than that you dont hear a peep out of anyone. We have life groups of about 8 to 10 people that lasts for 8 weeks. You can meet others that way. Once the group stops meeting then you dont hear from them. Social media is the defacto standard for fellowship in the church or so it would seem.