People group profile · PG048792
The Bumthangpa of Bhutan
The Bumthangpa of Bhutan, numbering about 25,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a central Bhutanese people of the Ura, Chumey, Tang, and Choekhor valleys, whose Kingdom of Bumthang saw Buddhism take root in Bhutan via a 7th-century temple built under Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, later the ancestral homeland of the House of Wangchuck.
They are an indigenous people in the Bhutanese people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples. Their primary religion is Tibetan Buddhism, and they primarily speak Bumthangkha.
Fast facts
- Country
- Bhutan
- Population
- 25,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Bhutanese
- Primary language
- Bumthangkha (kjz)
- Primary religion
- Tibetan Buddhism
- 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
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Bumthang district; southwest Lhuentse district; northwest Mongar district; north and west Trongsa district; possibly northeast border areas
Where they live
Gospel status
The Bumthangpa 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 Bumthangpa
- 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
Tibetan Buddhism · Buddhism
99% adherents
Primary language
Bumthangkha · Sino-Tibetan family
100% speak Bumthangkha
Gospel resources in Bumthangkha
- Bible available, published 1938
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings not available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Bumthangpa
- 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.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.