People group profile · PG024576
The Laz of Turkiye
The Laz of Turkiye, numbering about 175,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Turkey.
They are an indigenous people in the Caucasus people cluster of the Eurasian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Turkish.

Fast facts
- Country
- Turkiye
- Population
- 175,000
- Affinity group
- Central Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Caucasus
- Primary language
- Turkish (tur)
- 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
- Western Asia, Asia
Where they live
Gospel status
The Laz 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 Laz
- 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
Turkish · Turkic family
100% speak Turkish
Gospel resources in Turkish
- Bible available, published 2009
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- Magdalena (Turkish)
- The Savior (Turkish)
Bibles
- Halk Dilinde 2012 · audio, text
- Kutsal Kitap 2009 · audio, text
- New Turkish Bible Translation · video
- Yeni Antlaşma 1987, 1994 · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Laz
- 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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