People group profile · PG022880
The Tombelala of Indonesia
The Tombelala of Indonesia, numbering about 1,600 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a small Austronesian people of four villages in Central Sulawesi's Bungku Tengah subdistrict, Indonesia, one of five closely related Bungku language varieties, sustained by swidden farming and copra production.
They are an indigenous people in the Kaili-Tomini of Sulawesi people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Tombelala.
Fast facts
- Country
- Indonesia
- Population
- 1,600
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Kaili-Tomini of Sulawesi
- Primary language
- Tombelala (ttp)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Central Sulawesi province: Morowali regency, Bungku Tengah sub-district, 4 villages on Tolo bay west coast
Where they live
Gospel status
The Tombelala 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 Tombelala
- 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
99% adherents
Primary language
Tombelala · Austronesian family
76% speak Tombelala
Gospel resources in Tombelala
- Bible not available
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings not available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Tombelala
- 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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