People group profile · PG041587
The Bhutia of India
The Bhutia of India, numbering about 257,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group indigenous to the Transhimalayan region that separates India and Nepal from Tibet.
They are an indigenous people in the Tibetan people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Sherpa.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 257,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Tibetan
- Primary language
- Sherpa (xsr)
- Primary religion
- Ethnoreligion
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Expanding Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Sikkim: all districts; West Bengal: Darjeeling
Where they live
Gospel status
The Bhutia 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 Bhutia
- 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
Sherpa · Sino-Tibetan family
74% speak Sherpa
Gospel resources in Sherpa
- Bible available
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Sherpa)
Bibles
- 2015 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Bhutia
- 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.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Bhutia in other countries
The same people is also reported in 2 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhotia | Nepal | 33,500 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Sikkimese Bhotia | Bhutan | 4,600 | Unengaged and Unreached |
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