People group profile · PG008199
The Western Chams of Cambodia
The Western Chams of Cambodia, numbering about 303,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Kampong Cham province in Cambodia and the An Giang province in southern Vietnam.
They are an indigenous people in the Cham people cluster of the Southeast Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Western Cham.
Fast facts
- Country
- Cambodia
- Population
- 303,000
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Cham
- Primary language
- Western Cham (cja)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
Where they live
Gospel status
The Western Chams are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Western Chams
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Sunni Islam · Islam
92% adherents
Primary language
Western Cham · Austronesian family
74% speak Western Cham
Gospel resources in Western Cham
- Bible available, published 2021
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Cham, Western)
Bibles
- Cham, Western New Testament · video, audio
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Western Chams
- 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.
- 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.
Cham, Western in other countries
The same people (ROP3 110776) is reported in 3 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Chams | Vietnam | 150,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Western Chams | United States | 1,200 | Unengaged and Unreached |
| Western Chams | Laos | 250 | Unengaged and Unreached |
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