The Ndengese of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Ndengese of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 19,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu people, also known as the Dengese, living north of the Sankuru River in central DRC near the Kuba cultural region, with longstanding chiefly traditions and distinctive prestige sculpture. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Dengese is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Dengese (dez)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 19,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014672
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Ndengese of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

94%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dengese
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Dengese Speakers

Media Resources in Dengese:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Dengese:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Dengese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Ndengese 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.

Next steps for the Ndengese:
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

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

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

...And that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
readLuke 24:47

Pray that the message of repentance and forgiveness through Jesus will reach everyone.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
readRomans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

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.

Ndengese Across Countries (ROP3 - 107159) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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

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