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People group profile · PG014705

The Pende of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Pende of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, numbering about 1,250,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Democratic Republic of the Congo.

They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Central-South people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Phende.

Pray for the PendePrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Population
1,250,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Central-South
Primary language
Phende (pem)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
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
Middle Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Pende 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 Pende

  • 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

Ethnoreligion

Primary language

Phende · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Phende

Gospel resources in Phende

  • Bible available, published 1996
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

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

Pray for the Pende

  1. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  2. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  3. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  4. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.

Download a prayer guide

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