People group profile · PG009294
The Minangkabau of Malaysia
The Minangkabau of Malaysia, numbering about 773,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are descendants of Minangkabau migrants from West Sumatra who settled Negeri Sembilan by the 1300s and supplied its royal line, preserving the matrilineal Adat Perpatih customary system.
They are an indigenous people in the Minangkabau-Rejang of Sumatra people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Negeri Sembilan Malay.
Fast facts
- Country
- Malaysia
- Population
- 773,000
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Minangkabau-Rejang of Sumatra
- Primary language
- Negeri Sembilan Malay (zmi)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Negeri Sembilan: Ulu Muar district
Where they live
Gospel status
The Minangkabau 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 Minangkabau
- 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
99% adherents
Primary language
Negeri Sembilan Malay · Austronesian family
70% speak Negeri Sembilan Malay
Gospel resources in Negeri Sembilan Malay
- Bible not available
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings not available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Minangkabau
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
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