The Pennsylvania Dutch of United States

The Pennsylvania Dutch of United States, numbering approximately 140,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a German-American ethnocultural population distinguished by shared ancestry, dialect, religious traditions, and a strong historical identity rooted in the rural Mid-Atlantic United States. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Pennsylvania German is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Pennsylvania Dutch

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Eurasian Peoples
Country: United States
People Cluster: Germanic
Primary Language(s): Pennsylvania German (pdc)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 140,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG043593
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Pennsylvania Dutch of United States

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

88%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Pennsylvania German
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
German, Pennsylvania Speakers

Media Resources in Pennsylvania German:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Pennsylvania German:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Wycliffe Bible Translators✓

1 entry

Or check out the Pennsylvania German bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Pennsylvania Dutch 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.

Next steps for the Pennsylvania Dutch:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Pennsylvania Dutch of United States

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
readIsaiah 49:13

Thank the Lord for the people here and ask that His gospel will flow through this land to bring hope to those who are afflicted by the guilt of sin.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
readMatthew 5:13

Pray that the lost will have the opportunity to hear a Christian witness of how the gospel can bring hope and that they will put their faith in Christ.

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.
readActs 4:29

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face rejection by unbelievers in their communities, God will give them discernment, boldness, and encouragement to speak His Word.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
readPsalm 9:18

Pray that God will raise up believers who can help meet emotional and physical needs among this people group. Ask Him to open doors for them and give them the courage to walk into difficult situations and share the hope of the gospel boldly.

Amish Across Countries (ROP3 - 107976) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

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

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