The Drukpa of Bhutan

The Drukpa of Bhutan, numbering approximately 247,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous community of Tibeto-Burman people native to the Transhimalayan region that divides India and Nepal from Tibet and can also be known as Drukha, Yul-Mi, Ngalop, Ngarung, Dukpa, Drukke, Sharchop, Ngalong, Jinkha, Rdzongkha, Druku, Dzongkha, Drukpha, Bhotia of Bhutan, Bhutanese, Kebumtap, Zongkhar. They are an Indigenous people, in the South Asian Buddhist people cluster of the South Asian Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Buddhism - Tibetan. They primarily speak Dzongkha.

Drukpa in India photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Steve Evans - Flickr Steve Evans - Flickr Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Bhutan
People Cluster: South Asian Buddhist
Primary Language(s): Dzongkha (dzo)
Primary Religion(s): Buddhism - Tibetan
Population: 247,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG001219

Pray for the Drukpa of Bhutan

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Buddhism - Tibetan
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

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Buddhism - Tibetan Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dzongkha
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

%
Dzongkha Speakers

Media Resources in Dzongkha:

Films:

Bible Resources in Dzongkha:

Or check out the Dzongkha bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Drukpa

The Drukpa 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 Drukpa

The Drukpa 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 Drukpa

The Drukpa 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 Drukpa of Bhutan

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
readLuke 1:46-47

Pray that those who are lost will recognize their need for a Savior and joyfully embrace the mercy that God offers.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
readPsalm 25:5

Pray that the gospel will advance and that God will lead people in His truth, bringing many to salvation.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
readTitus 3:4-5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and might struggle with temptation to trust in their own works, they will remember that it is only because of God's mercy that they have been saved.

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
readLuke 10:3

Ask God to raise up and send humble believers who will depend on Him as they go out like lambs among wolves to share the good news with those who need to hear it.

Drukpa reported in the following countries (ROP3):

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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