There are certain things a person senses he or she is not good at. Networking is on that list for me. Interestingly, though, colleagues tell me I’m greatly mistaken. But the term doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody. So what is networking, and how does it differ from socializing? Is it something a Christian can participate in, or is it just a secular ploy to achieve some desired goal? More importantly, as church leaders and managers of people, should we be expecting our staff to engage in it avidly?

The Encarta encyclopedia definition of social networking is “the building up or maintaining of informal relationships, especially with people whose friendship could bring advantages such as job or business opportunities.” In addition, people network to exchange information or share access to a broader store of information or experiences. While this secondary goal seems perfectly ethical, some may question the motivation behind the primary purpose of networking, especially when personal gain may result from an unfair advantage. An old adage comes to mind: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” When someone loses a job opportunity to someone less qualified who knew the right people, it is easy to see the injustice. It won’t suffice to argue that everybody has an equal chance to get to know key people.

Socializing, on the other hand, is the act of taking part in social activities or behaving in a friendly way to others. There is no motive or personal gain in mind except to enjoy the company of others. Christians need — as part of their lifestyle, rather than a strategy to convert others or gain another notch on their belts — to be building genuine, loving relationships simply because we were created, in the image of God, to love. In these relationships, Christians may find opportunities to share the Gospel out of pure love (versus an ulterior motive) – but that does not mean such relationships are simply social networking for personal gain.

Without a doubt, there are scriptural characters (God’s own people, as well as nonbelievers) who God put in certain places at the right moments – “for such a time as this.” Two that readily come to mind are Pharaoh’s daughter (when baby Moses was floating in the reeds) and Phillip (with the Ethiopian eunuch). While no social networking had been going on in those cases, there seems to be clear evidence that God strategically uses people to help achieve results that may otherwise be unlikely. But what about real networking? Do we have any evidence of that in Scripture? David escaped death because of his friendship with Jonathan. The Israelites escaped great harm because of Mordecai’s friendship with Esther and Esther’s marriage (talk about social networking!) with the king.