What does "position himself in relation to that" mean? I get the establish connections part: they are already in the habit of needing to be in the know when it comes to who hangs out with who
As I said in that post . . .
Most MS's are "reaching out" (their term) to become Elders. Therefore their actions as seen by others, need to be politically in harmony with those aspirations. It may not be obvious at first, but their status is very important to many and is carefully protected.
"Who hangs out with who" is quite important to an MS who is striving to qualify as an Elder . . . the "bad association" within the congregation is one area that will be closely monitored by the current Elders when examining his qualifications . . . such a one needs to tread that much more carefully . . . that's all. Remember . . . this is a "high-control" cult. Everything is observed and noted.