Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG011354

The Goulai of Chad

The Goulai of Chad, numbering about 534,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are one of twelve Sara subgroups of southern Chad, whose oral tradition traces ancestry to the Sao people displaced from the Nile's banks by Arab slave traders around the 16th century, organized into chiefdoms by the 19th century.

They are an indigenous people in the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Neo-Pentecostalism, and they primarily speak Gulay.

Pray for the GoulaiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Goulai people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Goulai

Fast facts

Country
Chad
Population
534,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Sara-Bagirmi
Primary language
Gulay (gvl)
Primary religion
Neo-Pentecostalism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Expanding Unreached People Group
Region
Middle Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Goulai 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 Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Goulai

  • 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

Neo-Pentecostalism · Christianity

88% adherents

Primary language

Gulay · Central Sudanic family

100% speak Gulay

Gospel resources in Gulay

  • Bible available, published 2006
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings not available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Goulai

  1. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  2. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  3. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  4. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.

Download a prayer guide

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.