The Assemblies of God has opted to postpone its decision on whether to continue its partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators due to controversy over some of Wycliffe’s work.

The World Missions Executive Committee for the Pentecostal denomination had initially declared it would make a decision on May 15. But AGWM has now opted to wait for a recommendation by a World Evangelical Alliance appointed panel, which is reviewing Wycliffe’s policies on translating terms such as “God the Father” and “Son of God.”

“We’re grateful to the Assemblies of God for waiting with us while the independent panel convened by the World Evangelical Alliance reviews our translation practices and makes its recommendations,” said a Wycliffe spokesman to The Christian Post. “Wycliffe USA has a long-standing relationship with the Assemblies of God. We value that partnership and look forward to it continuing into the foreseeable future.”

Much of the controversy surrounding Wycliffe and its affiliate translation organization the Summer Institute of Linguistics come from a series of works sent to Muslim countries. In late January several groups argued that Wycliffe and SIL had omitted the familial language surrounding God and Jesus. Terms like “Father” for God and “Son” for Jesus were replaced with more “Muslim-friendly” terms like “Messiah” and “Lord.”

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