I remember the first time I resigned from a job. For weeks, probably months, I carried a sense of low-grade dread and unease as I anticipated the hard conversation with my boss. Like pulling a tooth or setting a bone, it’s better to just get on with it once you know it’s inevitable.
Gone are the days of carrying your lunch pail to the factory for 40 years, getting your gold watch and piece of cake, and punching out for the last time. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median employee tenure in 2024 was just 3.9 years—and the trend seems to be continually moving in that direction.
Odds are, you’ll leave multiple jobs over the course of your career. And if you’re a Christ-follower, you represent him as you go.
Let’s assume you have a legitimate reason to quit and aren’t walking into the foreground with a burning bridge behind you. What do you do?
1. Communicate clearly and with gratitude.
Schedule a meeting with your boss. (Yes, in person.) If your boss has led people for any period of time, your conversation won’t blindside him. People don’t ask for random private meetings to “talk about some things.”
If you’re a Christ-follower, you represent him as you go.
Be clear and kind. Don’t hem and haw. Let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matt. 5:37). Don’t exaggerate or flatter to anesthetize the awkwardness (Prov. 28:23; 29:5). Just say what you need to say, with kindness.
By this point in the conversation, your boss may or may not be emotionally interested in talking to you. He might be surprisingly gracious, or he might be offended when you resign. In either case, blessed are you. Say thank you—and mean it. Your paycheck over the years was a blessing, and these people trusted you enough to pay you to do your job. Say thanks.
2. Leave like you’re not.
Unless your boss immediately pulls a banker’s box from underneath her desk and buzzes security, you’ll have days or weeks to hand your job off to the next person. However long that period may be, for Christ’s name’s sake, crush it at your job.
Here’s why this matters so much: You’re on the way out. You aren’t worried about getting fired. You could show up in jean shorts and take a two-hour lunch. But please don’t do that.
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re an ambassador for Jesus. He’s making his appeal to the world through your life and your mouth (2 Cor. 5:20). So whether you like it or not, your boss and colleagues and clients are paying serious attention to who you are in this moment. They’re seeing how this will go down.
Be the first to show up and last to leave. Do great work. Treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of how they treat you. Be the best person the HR department ever offboards. This isn’t for your glory or reputation; this is for the renown of Christ your King.
3. Speak charitably when you’re gone.
Once you’re gone, you’re not done. People will ask why you left. People will want to know about what it’s like to work at your old place. You don’t have to lie, but you also aren’t free to slander—especially individuals.
This isn’t for your glory or reputation; this is for the renown of Christ your King.
Please hear me, because I know you might be upset right now: God is the Judge. If you were mistreated, God saw it. He’ll deal with it as he sees fit in his sovereign perfection. Jesus took your rightful judgment on himself, so you have no right to harbor hatred. You don’t need to defend yourself or verbally vandalize your old employer. Be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19). Be at peace with others so long as it depends on you (Rom. 12:18).
It can be tempting to trash your former employer and to highlight all that’s wrong with them. In any organization, which happens to be a bunch of sinners working together, there will be plenty to say. But say less.
If it’s time to leave, leave well. The Lord is with you, and the Spirit will help you to honor him. Ask him for help, cling to Christ, and remember the big picture: You represent the King as you turn in your access card.
The Gospel Coalition