Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist ChurchcoreCo-presenter of #BeUMC Awards and presenter of One Matters Award recognizing congregations for discipleship excellence
- United Methodist CommunicationscoreCo-presenter of #BeUMC Awards celebrating clergy, laity, and congregations embodying UMC values
- Methodist Healthcare MinistriescoreTony 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 MinistriescorePartnership for global missionary support including hosting Global Missionary Daniel Humberto Contreras Varas and coordination of SCJ Mission Gathering 2026
- General Board of Higher Education MinistriescoreCo-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 CoalitioncoreConference coalition providing immigration resources, Know Your Rights training, and accompaniment support for immigrant communities
- Wespath (HealthFlex Well-Being Program)minorProvides HealthFlex Well-Being Program including Blueprint for Wellness screenings, wellness credits, health coaching, and EAP services for conference staff
- Quest DiagnosticsminorProvider of Blueprint for Wellness biometric screenings for HealthFlex participants, available January 1 - August 31 annually
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church social profiles
Digital presenceRio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church
What does Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church do?
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.
Is Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church a public or private company?
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church founded?
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church was founded in 2014.
Where is Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church based?
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Apportionments from Member Churches are the primary driver. The others are advance Special Gifts.
Who are Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Northwest Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, New Mexico Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Arkansas Conference of The United Methodist Church, Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church, Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church, Alabama-West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church and Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Global Methodist Church is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church.
What industry is Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church in?
Rio Texas Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church's product category is Religious Conference Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAB, Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences). Its NAICS code is 8131 and its SIC code is 8600.