People group profile · PG041313
The Gosain of India
The Gosain of India, numbering about 1,360,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a pan-Indian community of followers of the ninth-century sage Shankaracharya, organized into ten monastic orders as religious mendicants and temple caretakers. Also known regionally as Goswami or Bawa, many now farm or work in trade.
They are an indigenous people in the Hindi people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Hindi.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 1,360,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Hindi
- Primary language
- Hindi (hin)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Widespread across India, with sections in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Bihar, and Haryana
Where they live
Gospel status
The Gosain 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 initial or concentrated church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Concentrated Church Planting
Next steps for the Gosain
- 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
Gospel resources in Hindi
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Films
- JESUS (Hindi)
- Magdalena (Hindi)
- The Savior (Hindi)
Bibles
- Easy-to-Read Version · audio, text
- Indian Revised Version (OT - Davar Audio) · audio
- New Hindi Version · video
- New Hindi Version - LUMO Christmas Film · video
- New Hindi Version - LUMO Easter Film · video
- Sab Ki · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Gosain
- 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.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
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