From the Church, For the Church: How QA Community Reviews Build Trustworthy Scripture
An Interview with Teryl Gonzalez, International Translation Consultant with Wycliffe Bible Translators
More than 500 languages are currently using the Church-Based Bible Translation (CBBT) model, with that number expected to grow in the coming months. At the heart of CBBT, local churches take ownership and leadership of translation in their own language.
One key stage in this process is the Review by the Quality Assurance (QA) Community, where local church leaders and believers check the draft translation. The Innovation Lab recently spoke with Teryl Gonzalez, an International Translation Consultant and QA Mentor, to learn how this stage shapes both the translation process and the community.
What is Review by QA Community?
In a review process, the draft translation developed during earlier community drafting is brought back to the church. This stage is a verse-by-verse review led by local church leaders who know the language to ensure the translation is trustworthy, high-quality, and clearly understood by its intended audience.
The process usually begins with reading the passage aloud. Then, they retell the passage to make sure it is clear in their minds. By using a clear checklist, the community compares the translation with key resource texts, paying close attention to consistency, clarity, and accuracy
The team discusses how key terms, especially theological ones like “Kingdom of Heaven” or “grace,” have been translated. Do they make sense? Do they carry the proper depth? Do they sound like something a local pastor would say from the pulpit?
This step is not handled by a single reviewer. It happens in conversation, with multiple voices engaged in dialogue and reflection. As Teryl puts it, “It’s not just about clarity anymore. At this point, the question becomes: Can I preach this?”
The transition from comprehension to ownership makes this stage significant for the CBBT process.
Who Leads the Review?
Local leaders guide the community through a process shaped by their context's cultural and relational dynamics. Several roles typically emerge along the way:
Scripture Authentication Elders are trusted pastors, elders, and lay leaders who may or may not be ordained but carry influence and pastoral responsibility. They provide theological and cultural oversight, ensuring the translation aligns with Scripture and the language.
Team Leaders or Facilitators are community members who keep the process organized and moving. They manage logistics, guide discussions, and make sure all voices are heard, helping the team work together effectively.
The Translation Team and original drafters remain involved to listen, clarify, and collaborate. Their familiarity with earlier choices helps provide context and answer questions during the review.
QA Mentors, like Teryl, are experienced Bible translation experts who support the QA Community by providing training, guidance, and technical input. The mentor helps church leaders apply the checklist and navigate the process, while ensuring ownership remains with the local church.
The Impact of a QA Community Review
As communities engage in this kind of review, something important happens. The translation becomes not only technically accurate, but also more theologically precise and spiritually meaningful.
In one Nigerian language group, Teryl witnessed the community realize they had been using the same word for both “clean” and “holy.” While it seemed acceptable at first, deeper reflection raised concerns. Could they represent distinct biblical concepts with a single term?
That conversation led to a significant outcome: they identified a new word that specifically conveyed “holy” in their language, which had not been accessed before. Recognizing the importance of this distinction, the team began revising earlier drafts to reflect the new term, bringing greater clarity and confidence to the translation.
Stories like this are common in QA Community Reviews. As Teryl explained, “The TUAA test guides the review: is the text Trustworthy, Understandable, Appealing, and Appropriate? That’s the standard the church uses.”
The impact of this stage is seen beyond the text, as it shapes the people reviewing it. Teryl described how local pastors and seasoned believers often encounter Scripture in a new way.
“In Nigeria, I watched a pastor who had been preaching for years suddenly light up,” she recalled. “He said, ‘Wow, I finally understand what this really means.’ Another said, ‘Now I know the details; I can preach the details!’ Another memorable reflection was from a leader who said, ‘It feels like I just went to Bible school.’”
Accelerating Progress By Radically Broadening Involvement
While grounded in theology and community participation, QA Community Reviews also contribute to faster access to Scripture for language communities.
Teryl shared that as the consultant assigned to a project in Nigeria, she expected the review of Deuteronomy to take about a year if she were working through it on her own. But once the local QA Community took responsibility for the review, the team completed the entire book in just two and a half days. They then went on to review Leviticus in only a few more days. In another context in Europe, a QA Community reviewed the full New Testament in nine months.
This kind of progress is possible because the work is distributed. When the church leads the process, the pace of translation often increases. As Teryl put it, “The QA Community doesn’t just check the text. They carry it forward.”
How to Get Started
While the QA Community Review is a core part of the CBBT process, its principles can also strengthen ongoing translation efforts. As Teryl explained, “You can enter the cycle at any stage.” Even if a project did not begin with CBBT, a QA Community Review can still be introduced effectively, often leading to meaningful change.”
“You might have a very established process,” she said, “and then pivot into a QA Community Review. It can be transformational.”
For Teryl, walking alongside these communities has become deeply personal: “In this season, I’m learning to appreciate that God is at work in every one of these people and has given them gifts. The Spirit of God in them is accomplishing His purposes in this place and community.”
To learn more about Stage 3 or how to integrate a QA Community into your project, reach out to the Innovation Lab at lab@eten.bible.
You’ll join over 500 languages already using CBBT to accelerate progress, led by the church, for the church.
Learn more: