The Tembo-Kitembo of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Tembo-Kitembo of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 348,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as an ethnolinguistic community of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces, Kalehe Territory They are an Indigenous people, with Tembo as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Bantu, Central-Congo people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Roman Catholicism. They primarily speak Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces).

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces) (tbt)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 348,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014737
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Tembo-Kitembo 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

46%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces) Speakers

Media Resources in Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces):

Films:

Bible Resources in Tembo (DRC, Sud-Kivu and Nord-Kivu provinces):

Linked from YouVersion

Explore Lostness and Next Steps

Unengaged and Unreached

Strategic Priority Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached (SPI: 1), 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.
Lostness Priority Index (LPI): Expanding Unreached People Group, (LPI: 2), 0.5% to 2% Evangelical.
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity (GSEC: 1), 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

Next steps for the Tembo-Kitembo:
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

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Tembo-Kitembo 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 Tembo-Kitembo:
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

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Tembo-Kitembo 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 Tembo-Kitembo:
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 Tembo-Kitembo of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 8:1

Pray that God will reassure those who may be struggling with the cost of following Jesus that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
readMatthew 16:16

Pray that many will see clearly that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and put their trust in Him.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
readActs 2:42

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will devote themselves to God's Word, to fellowship with each other, and to prayer.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ...that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
readColossians 4:3-4

Ask God to open doors for believers to share the gospel and help them communicate it clearly so that more people will understand the mystery of Christ and turn to follow Him.

Tembo Across Countries (ROP3 - 109935) reported in the following countries:

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

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