Rodent Regatta

Companies frequently put an employee in a position of ”resign” or be fired. I’ve even heard of situations where an otherwise excellent employee gets fed up and attempts to get fired because of matters such as severance and benefits.

Recently, I became aware of a church situation in which a person was asked to resign. Implicit in the request to resign was a request to keep quiet in exchange for a severance arrangement. How the people at this church thought this request could be kept secret is a mystery. Clearly, the financial statements will show the continued salary. No reception for the many years (over 20) of service is being given, and the individual ”resigned” without having another job lined up.

Is this ethical and moral? Leaving the impression that this was ”the employee’s plan” ”seems not only unethical, but terribly dishonest to the rest of the congregation. Furthermore, based upon the number of people who knew the ”truth” at the outset, the word is rapidly getting out to the rest of the congregation. Your thoughts?