People group profile · PG013696
The Bolewa of Nigeria
The Bolewa of Nigeria, numbering about 244,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic group in northeastern Nigeria, primarily in Gombe State and parts of Yobe and Borno States.
They are an indigenous people in the Benue people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Islam, and they primarily speak Bole.
Fast facts
- Country
- Nigeria
- Population
- 244,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Benue
- Primary language
- Bole (bol)
- Primary religion
- Folk 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
- Also known as
- Bìyà Pìkkà, Am Pìkkà
- Region
- Western Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Bolewa 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 Bolewa
- 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
Folk Islam · Islam
78% adherents
Primary language
Bole · Afro-Asiatic family
100% speak Bole
Gospel resources in Bole
- Bible available, published 2021
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories available
Films
- JESUS (Bolewa)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Bolewa
- 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.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
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