People group profile · PG015015
The Nyanja of Tanzania
The Nyanja of Tanzania, numbering about 71,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
They are a diaspora people in the Bantu, Chewa-Sena people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Roman Catholicism, and they primarily speak Chichewa.
Fast facts
- Country
- Tanzania
- Population
- 71,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Bantu, Chewa-Sena
- Primary language
- Chichewa (nya)
- Primary religion
- Roman Catholicism
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Nyanja 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 Nyanja
- 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
Roman Catholicism · Christianity
74% adherents
Primary language
Chichewa · Atlantic-Congo family
100% speak Chichewa
Gospel resources in Chichewa
- Bible available
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Bibles
- 1997 Buku Loyera Version · audio
- Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero (The Word of God in Contemporary Chichewa) · video
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Nyanja
- 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.
Nyanja, Chewa in other countries
The same people (ROP3 107548) is reported in 5 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chewa Nyanja | Malawi | 8,515,000 | No Longer Unreached |
| Nyanja | Mozambique | 1,455,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Western Nyanja | Zambia | 853,000 | No Longer Unreached |
| Nyanja | Zimbabwe | 817,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Nyanja | Eswatini | 7,300 | No Longer Unreached |
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