People group profile · PG049011
The Gonju of India
The Gonju of India, numbering about 550 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a community descended from Chota Nagpur's Routiya, whose name means headman of a forest village. Originally dowry tenants in Odisha's Mayurbhanj region, they later settled along the West Bengal border as laborers and rope-makers.
They are an indigenous people in the Bihari people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Sadri.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 550
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Bihari
- Primary language
- Sadri (sck)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- 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
- Odisha: Mayurbhanj district; also West Bengal (border villages)
Where they live
Gospel status
The Gonju 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 Gonju
- 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 Sadri
- Bible available, published 2023
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Bibles
- Indian Evangelical Mission · audio
- Indian Evangelical Mission · video, audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Gonju
- 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.
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