Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

What Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church does

Rio Texas Annual Conference is a regional governing body of The United Methodist Church, formed in 2014 through the merger of the former Southwest Texas Conference and Rio Grande Conference. It coordinates 206 member churches across South Texas (down from 351 in 2019 due to disaffiliations and ongoing denominational litigation), organized into three districts (Central, North, South) under the leadership of Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey and a cabinet of District Superintendents. The conference provides administrative services, clergy appointment and wellness support, leadership development, mission coordination, youth and campus ministry, immigration accompaniment resources, and disaster response coordination, delivered through local churches and conference staff headquartered in San Antonio with a secondary training/academy presence at the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso. No proprietary technology platform underpins operations; ministry is delivered via a network of three geographic districts plus the parent denomination's global connectional infrastructure.

The conference's revenue model is a hybrid of formula-based church apportionments (member churches contributed $4.6M in 2024, approximately 69.4% of the approved budget) and designated charitable gifts through the Advance Special program, including the Five Star Church recognition track that 73 churches earned in 2025. Conference-level budget has contracted from $9.5M in 2019 to a projected $5.5M in 2026, and staffing costs have been reduced from $2.8M to $1.58M, reflecting a deliberate realignment to a smaller footprint. The conference is undergoing a leadership transition in financial services, with Tony LoBasso (formerly CFO at Methodist Healthcare Ministries) succeeding Rev. Kendall Waller in April 2026. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: annual conference sessions, district retreats, youth camps, clergy gatherings, and merger facilitation serve as primary engagement touchpoints for 206 member churches and the constituencies they serve, including immigrant communities, unhoused populations, and youth across South Texas.

Name

Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

Legal name

Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

Website

https://riotexas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Rio Texas Annual Conference is a regional governing body of The United Methodist Church, coordinating 206 member churches across South Texas through administrative services, clergy support, mission programs, and disaster response.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Conference Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Religious conference services
• Clergy appointment administration
• Faith formation programs
• Disaster response coordination
• Church administrative services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Apportionments from Member Churches: Each local church contributes to the conference budget based on a formula. In 2024, churches contributed $4.6 million toward conference apportionments, representing approximately 69.4% of the approved budget.
2. Advance Special Gifts: Designated mission giving where 100% of each gift goes directly to the supported ministry. Includes Five Star Church program for comprehensive mission participation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Rio Texas Annual Conference coordinates United Methodist churches, clergy appointments, administrative services, and ministry programs across South Texas. It provides leadership development, congregational vitality support, disaster response coordination, youth and campus ministry, faith formation, immigration resources, pensions and benefits administration, and mission funding coordination for 206 member churches.

Product overview

Rio Texas Annual Conference is a regional governing body of The United Methodist Church serving churches across South Texas. It is not a technology product company. The organization provides ministry resources, church support services, spiritual formation programs, disaster response coordination, youth and campus ministries, leadership development, and mission support for member congregations. These are religious/organizational programs and services, not commercial technology products or software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Faith Formation Leadership Academy Online leadership development program equipping clergy and laity across the Rio Texas Conference with faith formation skills; hosted at rtfaithacademy.com.
• Lydia Patterson Institute A United Methodist school located on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, providing education as part of the South Central Jurisdiction's missional support; serves cross-border youth population.
• Disaster Response Coordination Conference-wide disaster response and recovery coordination service led by a dedicated Disaster Recovery Coordinator, supporting member churches and communities following events such as the Texas Hill Country floods; coordinated through riotexasresponse.org.
• Youth Ministry Programs (Midwinter, RISE Camp, Summer Camp) Conference-coordinated youth retreat and camp programs including Midwinter retreats, RISE Camp, and Summer Camp, serving middle school and high school youth from member churches across South Texas.
• Campus Ministry United Methodist campus ministry programs serving college students at institutions including Texas Wesleyan University and other higher education campuses within the conference territory.
• Emmaus Spiritual Formation Retreats Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis spiritual formation retreat programs offering participants immersive faith experiences; available to adults and youth from member churches.
• Immigration Resource Hub Conference-maintained resource hub providing immigration legal support information, Know Your Rights training, advocacy materials, and accompaniment support for immigrant community members served by member churches.
• Project Transformation Rio Texas Literacy and summer enrichment program for children hosted at member churches including Bethel UMC in San Antonio, pairing reading support with college-age intern mentors from the community.
• Five Star Church Recognition Program Advance Special giving recognition program acknowledging churches that participate comprehensively across all five mission categories, pay 100% of apportionments, and support UMCOR Sunday; 73 churches recognized in 2025.
• Pensions and Benefits Administration Conference-administered pensions, health benefits (HealthFlex), and worker compensation programs for clergy and staff of member churches, in partnership with Wespath.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73 Five Star Churches recognized for mission giving in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Co-presenter of #BeUMC Awards and presenter of One Matters Award recognizing congregations for discipleship excellence
• United Methodist CommunicationscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2026Co-presenter of #BeUMC Awards celebrating clergy, laity, and congregations embodying UMC values
• Methodist Healthcare MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2025Tony LoBasso, incoming Director of Financial Services, previously served as CFO at Methodist Healthcare Ministries since 2014. The organizations maintain ongoing partnerships including Southside Community Center collaboration and future partnership development.
• Global Ministries / General Board of Global MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for global missionary support including hosting Global Missionary Daniel Humberto Contreras Varas and coordination of SCJ Mission Gathering 2026
• General Board of Higher Education MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of SCJ Mission Gathering 2026 for Conference Secretaries of Global Ministries and Mission Chairs, October 20-23, 2026 in San Antonio
• Anti-Racism & Equity CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference coalition providing immigration resources, Know Your Rights training, and accompaniment support for immigrant communities
• Wespath (HealthFlex Well-Being Program)minorOthersProvides HealthFlex Well-Being Program including Blueprint for Wellness screenings, wellness credits, health coaching, and EAP services for conference staff
• Quest DiagnosticsminorOthersProvider of Blueprint for Wellness biometric screenings for HealthFlex participants, available January 1 - August 31 annually

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church: Companion UMC annual conference in the South Central Jurisdiction covering central Texas with the same episcopal oversight structure (shared Bishop model) and identical church-support mission.
• Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church: UMC annual conference serving north and east Texas; comparable in revenue model (church apportionments), governance (Bishop-led), and recent experience navigating UMC disaffiliations.
• Northwest Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church: Another South Central Jurisdiction UMC annual conference serving west and north Texas with a similar governance structure, apportionment-based funding model, and connectional oversight of member churches.
• New Mexico Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church: Neighboring UMC annual conference in the South Central Jurisdiction, sharing similar ministry mix including border and Hispanic/Latino community ministry (Lydia Patterson-like border mission work).
• Arkansas Conference of The United Methodist Church: South Central Jurisdiction UMC annual conference offering direct comparison on rural-vs-urban church composition, clergy wellness programs, and connectional giving patterns.
• Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church: South Central Jurisdiction UMC conference; similarly sized organizational footprint with comparable recent experience managing disaffiliation, realignment, and demographic shifts in member churches.
• Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church: UMC conference formed from merging Kansas East/West, Nebraska, and Central States conferences — a directly comparable recent consolidation case illustrating multi-conference merger as a recovery strategy.
• Alabama-West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church: Southeastern UMC annual conference that recently navigated its own church realignment and merger process — directly comparable in scale, mission scope, and disaster response coordination needs.
• Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church: South Central Jurisdiction peer with overlapping hurricane/disaster response coordination needs, apportionment financing, and clergy appointment systems operated through district superintendents.

Emerging players

• Global Methodist Church: Breakaway Methodist denomination formed by disaffiliating congregations; relevant as both a direct competitor for member churches and a counter-example of how the post-2023 UMC fragmentation is reshaping the regional Methodist landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RioTXAC
• Facebookfacebook.com/riotexas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riotexas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church