People group profile · PG015668
The Nyanja of Zimbabwe
The Nyanja of Zimbabwe, numbering about 817,000 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 Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Chichewa.
Fast facts
- Country
- Zimbabwe
- Population
- 817,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Bantu, Chewa-Sena
- Primary language
- Chichewa (nya)
- Primary religion
- Ethnoreligion
- 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
- 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
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
- 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.
- 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.
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 | Tanzania | 71,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Nyanja | Eswatini | 7,300 | No Longer Unreached |
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