People group profile · PG049444
The Chopan of India
The Chopan of India, numbering about 50,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Kashmiri shepherding community whose name denotes their traditional role as keepers of sheep and cattle for landowning zamindars, now also engaged in agricultural and institutional labor.
They are an indigenous people in the Kashmiri people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Kashmiri.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 50,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Kashmiri
- Primary language
- Kashmiri (kas)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- 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
- Jammu and Kashmir: Srinagar and Kupwara districts
Where they live
Gospel status
The Chopan 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 Chopan
- 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
Primary language
Kashmiri · Indo-European family
100% speak Kashmiri
Gospel resources in Kashmiri
- Bible available, published 2011
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Films
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Chopan
- 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.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
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