Permission for Uncertainty
A relational practice for the Season of Noticing.
Purpose of the Practice
Permission for Uncertainty helps a community remain present to ambiguity, tension, and unresolved questions without rushing toward clarity, certainty, or control. This practice trains relationships—between people and with God—to tolerate not knowing as a faithful posture rather than a failure of leadership or faith.
In a Season of Noticing, this practice protects communities from premature certainty. It slows the instinct to explain, decide, or defend, and instead cultivates patience, humility, and trust that God is at work even when direction is not yet clear.
This is a repeatable anchor practice. Used over time, it helps communities become less reactive, more honest about limits, and more capable of staying together through complexity.
How to Measure Success of This Practice
1. Posture Toward Not Knowing
- Participants were able to name uncertainty without apology or anxiety.
- Ambiguity was acknowledged as real rather than avoided or minimized.
- People resisted the urge to fill silence with speculation or answers.
Guiding Test: Did the group treat uncertainty as acceptable rather than threatening?
2. Quality of Relational Presence
- Participants listened without correcting, rescuing, or clarifying others’ uncertainty.
- Differences in perspective were held without pressure to resolve them.
- No one was pushed to be more confident, hopeful, or decisive than they were.
Guiding Test: Did people feel accompanied rather than managed?
3. Language Used in the Room
- Participants spoke tentatively and humbly (“I’m not sure…,” “It feels unclear…,” “I’m holding mixed feelings…”).
- Certainty language (“obviously,” “the answer is,” “we know”) was limited or gently held.
- Questions were allowed to remain open.
Guiding Test: Did language make room for uncertainty rather than close it down?
4. Relationship to Silence
- Silence was allowed without discomfort or urgency.
- The group did not rush to interpret or resolve what felt unclear.
- Pauses were treated as part of the practice, not as awkward gaps.
Guiding Test: Was silence trusted as a faithful response to uncertainty?
5. Emotional and Spiritual Safety
- Participants appeared less defensive or performative over time.
- People did not feel pressured to have answers, plans, or conclusions.
- There was evidence of trust that uncertainty would not be punished or used against them.
Guiding Test: Did the practice increase relational safety?
6. After-Effect (Short-Term)
- Participants reported relief, patience, or increased calm.
- The group demonstrated greater willingness to remain in the Season of Noticing rather than rushing ahead.
- Subsequent conversations showed less urgency and more curiosity.
Guiding Test: Did the group leave more grounded, not more anxious?
What This Practice Is
- Relational, not cognitive
- Protective, not permissive of chaos
- Faithful waiting, not indecision
What This Practice Is Not
- Avoidance of responsibility
- A refusal to lead or decide
- A denial that action will eventually be required
- A theological claim that clarity never matters
Nothing is being decided here. Nothing is being avoided—only postponed faithfully.
Preparation (Before the Gathering)
Clarify the Context
Naming what uncertainty the group is holding. Examples:
- A decision not yet ready to be made
- A season of transition or change
- Mixed emotions or conflicting signals
- A lack of clarity about next steps
Be specific without framing the uncertainty as a problem.
Prepare Yourself as Leader
Leaders must be willing to model uncertainty. If the leader cannot tolerate not knowing, the group will not either.
Prepare language that normalizes uncertainty rather than resolves it.
Guidance for Leaders
If someone moves toward explanation or solution, gently say:
“Let’s stay with what is unclear rather than resolving it.”
If anxiety rises in the room:
Slow the pace. Name that uncertainty can feel uncomfortable and that this discomfort is part of the work.
If someone resists the practice:
Acknowledge the resistance without argument. Resistance itself may be uncertainty expressing itself.
If silence stretches:
Let it stretch. Silence is often where trust deepens.
Orienting the Group
The leader offers a brief framing such as:
Today we are practicing permission for uncertainty. We are not trying to resolve questions or arrive at clarity. Our work is to remain present to what is unclear, trusting that God does not require immediate certainty from us.
You may add:
“Uncertainty is not the absence of faith. Often, it is the place where faith is formed.”
This framing should be calm, confident, and brief.
The Practice (20-25 minutes)
1. Opening Song (as prayer)
Philip Paul Bliss (in the public domain)
When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
2. Scripture and Silence (3-5 Minutes)
The leader may select one or more of the following passages as the community prepares for a time of silence.
You may want to print a selection of scriptures with no distractions on the page.***
Waiting, Trust, and Partial Knowing
Psalm 13
Psalm 62:1–8
Proverbs 3:5–6
Ecclesiastes 11:5
Isaiah 55:8–9
Romans 8:24–25
1 Corinthians 13:9–12
Across Scripture, uncertainty is not treated as failure. Waiting, partial knowing, and trust without clarity are consistent features of faithful life.
3. Naming Uncertainty (Round One)
Participants are invited to offer short, honest statements naming uncertainty they are holding.
Sentence starters (use consistently):
Each contribution should be one sentence.
Each contribution should be one sentence.
No responses. No discussion.
4. Holding the Uncertainty (Pause)
After several statements, pause in silence. The facilitator may say something like:
Notice how it feels to hear uncertainty named aloud.
Notice your body, your breathing, and your emotions.
5. Naming Uncertainty (Round Two)
The leader may invite a second round, allowing:
Repetition signals shared vulnerability, not weakness. Shared vulnerability is a cornerstone of team work.
6. Closing the Practice
Close with gratitude and reassurance.
A simple closing might be:
Thank you for holding uncertainty together.
We trust that clarity will come in time, and that God is with us even now.
Do not summarize or identify next steps in this moment other than returning to an activity within the Season of Noticing.
A Final Pastoral Word
Permission for Uncertainty is a deeply countercultural practice. Communities are often rewarded for confidence, decisiveness, and answers—even when they are premature. This practice forms a different faithfulness: staying present, staying honest, and staying together when clarity has not yet arrived.
Leaders should remember that uncertainty does not stop leadership. It simply changes its shape. Faithful next steps may be as simple as continuing to notice, planning the next practice, or remaining in the season a bit longer.
At an appropriate time, facilitators should regularly debrief with groups and individuals. The easiest way to do this is to review the goals of the activity that are listed above.
*** Copyright laws prohibit printing massive amounts of biblical passages on this website.