People group profile · PG047521
The Jawa Banten of Indonesia
The Jawa Banten of Indonesia, numbering about 651,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Austronesian people descended from ancestors who reached Java between 1500 and 1000 BC, part of the historically fervent Muslim community of the Banten region converted through Islamic trade in the sixteenth century.
They are an indigenous people in the Jawa people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Javanese.
Fast facts
- Country
- Indonesia
- Population
- 651,000
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Jawa
- Primary language
- Javanese (jav)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- 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
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Banten, Central Java, and East Java provinces; Special Region of Yogyakarta; Sumatra island: Lampung province; resettlements in Kalimantan, Maluku, Papua, and Sulawesi
Where they live
Gospel status
The Jawa Banten 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 Jawa Banten
- 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
100% adherents
Primary language
Javanese · Austronesian family
75% speak Javanese
Gospel resources in Javanese
- Bible available, published 2017
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Javanese Banyumasan)
- JESUS (Cirebon)
- JESUS (Javanese, Banten)
- JESUS (Javanese)
- The Savior (Javanese)
Bibles
- New Revised Javanese (formal) Version, 2006 · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Jawa Banten
- 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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