People group profile · PG042170
The Pao of India
The Pao of India, numbering about 99,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Madhya Pradesh who describe themselves as migrants from Pawaigarh, organized into clans such as Umaniha and Kannujia. Agriculture and agricultural labor remain their main occupations.
They are an indigenous people in the South Asian Tribal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Bundeli.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 99,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- South Asian Tribal
- Primary language
- Bundeli (bns)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Chhattisgarh: north central; Jharkhand: Simdega; Madhya Pradesh: Anuppur and Shahdol (Baigani dialect) districts; Maharashtra: border areas; Odisha: Sundargarh
Where they live
Gospel status
The Pao 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 Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Pao
- 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
100% adherents
Primary language
Bundeli · Indo-European family
75% speak Bundeli
Gospel resources in Bundeli
- Bible available, published 2010
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Bundel Khandi)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Pao
- 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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