People group profile · PG022426
The Banyumasan of Indonesia
The Banyumasan of Indonesia, numbering about 9,215,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Javanese subgroup of the Serayu River and Dieng Plateau region whose Ngapak dialect predates standard Javanese, which emerged further east in the 1500s, preserving older linguistic features and a more egalitarian character than Java's court dialects.
They are an indigenous people in the Jawa people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Javanese.
Fast facts
- Country
- Indonesia
- Population
- 9,215,000
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Jawa
- Primary language
- Javanese (jav)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Expanding Unreached People Group
- Also known as
- Java Mendhoan, Java Banyumasan, Java Serayu
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Banten, Central Java, and East Java provinces; Special Region of Yogyakarta; Sumatra island: Lampung province; resettlements in Kalimantan, Maluku, Papua, and Sulawesi
Where they live
Gospel status
The Banyumasan 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 but there has been dispersed church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Dispersed Church Planting
Next steps for the Banyumasan
- 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
Sunni Islam · Islam
100% adherents
Primary language
Javanese · Austronesian family
100% speak Javanese
Gospel resources in Javanese
- Bible available, published 2017
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Javanese Banyumasan)
- JESUS (Cirebon)
- JESUS (Javanese, Banten)
- JESUS (Javanese)
- The Savior (Javanese)
Bibles
- New Revised Javanese (formal) Version, 2006 · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Banyumasan
- 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.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
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