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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Kele of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Kele of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 653,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a language of Democratic Republic of Congo, former Orientale province: Isangi Territory, on Lomami and Congo rivers. They are an Indigenous people, in the Bantu, Central-Congo people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Neo-Pentecostalism. They primarily speak Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kele

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (khy)
Primary Religion(s): Neo-Pentecostalism
Population: 653,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014583
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Pray for the Kele of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Neo-Pentecostalism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

%

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

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Media Resources in Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo):

Films:

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Bible Resources in Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo):

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Kele (Democratic Republic of the Congo) bible resources at Bible.com

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Next steps for the Kele

The Kele are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Kele

The Kele are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

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

Next steps for the Kele

The Kele are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Kele of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
readPsalm 97:9

Pray that those who don't yet know Him will recognize the Lord as the Most High and turn from spiritual darkness to worship Him above all else.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
readActs 18:8

Pray that rulers and leaders will access the gospel, respond in faith, and be baptized, uniting with Christ and His Church, and influence others to follow Him.

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
readPsalm 149:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged and feel immeasurably loved as they meditate on the fact that God takes pleasure in them.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
readRomans 12:4-5

Ask God to send believers to people in other cultures and to help them use their gifts in harmony with others so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Kele (ROP3 - 104812) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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