Austin County rural

Mission-field Study · ministry priority: Hispanic/Latino + Black · Download filing PDF ↓

Rural county. Austin is below the 50,000 urban threshold, so a property sale here follows the general non-urban proceeds policy (¶4), not the Urban Ministry Plan — see Part 3. The demographic and feasibility reads below are still useful for district strategy.

1 · Demographic Profile of the Mission Field

Population

30,712

8 census tracts

5-yr growth

+1,147 people · proj. 2%

Hispanic

27%

5,559 Spanish-speakers (5+)

Black

non-Anglo total 37%

Under 18

24%

Median income

$77,369

population-weighted

Fastest-growing neighborhoods

Tracts with fewer than 1,000 residents five years ago are excluded here so a handful of new residents can't read as a four-figure growth rate.

Place	5-yr growth	People added	Hispanic
Austin County (rural)	45%	919	33%
Austin County (rural)	28%	879	26%
Austin County (rural)	17%	894	30%
Austin County (rural)	12%	578	38%
Austin County (rural)	-9%	-332	14%

2 · Feasibility — mission, plants & ministries

1 Rio Texas North District UMC serve this county — 1 of them reach non-Anglo communities (0 Hispanic-led, 0 Anglo+Hispanic ministry, 1 Black-led).

That is roughly 1 church per 30,712 residents against a mission field that is 37% non-Anglo.

8 tracts (30,712 people) have no UMC within a 15-minute drive; the average tract is 19.2 mi from the nearest UMC.

Highest-opportunity neighborhoods

Composite of growth (35%), church-saturation gap (30%), demographic fit (20%), and density (15%), 0–100, scored across every tract in the county. ◆ marks tracts that also clear Lens A's 6-mile-from-any-UMC plant filter.

Place	Opportunity	5-yr growth	Pop	mi to UMC
Austin County (rural) ◆	69	17%	6,010	24.5
Austin County (rural) ◆	65	12%	5,566	14.8
Austin County (rural) ◆	60	28%	3,997	17.8
Austin County (rural) ◆	60	45%	2,971	17.2
Austin County (rural) ◆	50	-12%	2,335	15.8
Austin County (rural) ◆	47	-17%	2,394	19.3

Existing North District UMCs in Austin

Church	City	Serves
Cherry Chapel UMC	Industry	Black-led

3 · Proposed Restrictions & Priority for Proceeds

At 27% Hispanic and growing, the field warrants a strong Hispanic/Latino ministry priority alongside cross-cultural work in existing congregations. The Black population (9% of the field, +40% over five years) supports a Black-ministry priority — note the Plan's caution that the legacy footprint of historic Black UMCs does not track where the Black population is growing today.

Non-urban policy (¶4). Austin is below the urban threshold, so the Urban Ministry Plan's 75/25 split does not apply. Under the general policy for discontinued/abandoned property, proceeds are handled as below.

20% of net → Conference Trustees' Property Administration Fund (capped at $400k).

100% of the remainder (the entire post-admin balance) → North District Strategy Team for use in the district. No Conference-office share; no urban restriction is required.

The demographic profile above still argues for a Hispanic/Latino + Black ministry emphasis if the District Strategy Team chooses to direct these funds intentionally. If the property was a former Rio Grande Annual Conference congregation, the Latino/Hispanic highest-priority restriction the Plan requires still applies regardless of urban status.