People group profile · PG008075
The Torres Strait Islanders of Australia
The Torres Strait Islanders of Australia, numbering about 11,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands between Cape York and Papua New Guinea who are ethnically distinct from Aboriginal Australians and maintain strong maritime and island cultural traditions.
They are an indigenous people in the Aboriginal Australians people cluster of the Pacific Islander Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Torres Strait Creole.
Fast facts
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 11,500
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Aboriginal Australians
- Primary language
- Torres Strait Creole (tcs)
- Primary religion
- Protestantism
- Strategic Progress Index
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 20% or Greater but Less than 30%
- GSEC
- 10% or Greater Evangelical
- Lostness priority
- Significantly Reached People Group
- Region
- Australia and New Zealand, Oceania
- Location
- Queensland: Torres Strait Islands, towns on upper Cape York, some on north Queensland east coast
Where they live
Gospel status
The Torres Strait Islanders are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 10% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Torres Strait Islanders
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
Protestantism · Christianity
Primary language
Torres Strait Creole · Indo-European family
68% speak Torres Strait Creole
Gospel resources in Torres Strait Creole
- Bible available, published 2014
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Bibles
- Baibol Tores Streit Yumplatok · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Torres Strait Islanders
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
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