Colorado County rural

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

Rural county. Colorado 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

20,736

5 census tracts

5-yr growth

-1%

+-286 people · proj. -1%

Hispanic

30%

3,303 Spanish-speakers (5+)

Black

13%

non-Anglo total 43%

Under 18

23%

Median income

$70,172

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
Colorado County (rural)	14%	275	26%
Colorado County (rural)	5%	211	26%
Colorado County (rural)	0%	0	20%
Eagle Lake	-6%	-273	55%
Colorado County (rural)	-9%	-499	23%

2 · Feasibility — mission, plants & ministries

5 Rio Texas North District UMCs serve this county — 2 of them reach non-Anglo communities (0 Hispanic-led, 0 Anglo+Hispanic ministry, 2 Black-led).

That is roughly 1 church per 4,147 residents against a mission field that is 43% non-Anglo.

1 tracts (2,222 people) have no UMC within a 15-minute drive; the average tract is 3.3 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
Colorado County (rural)	59	5%	4,101	1.4
Colorado County (rural) ◆	58	14%	2,222	6.4
Colorado County (rural)	57	0%	5,204	4.8
Eagle Lake	56	-6%	4,375	0.5
Colorado County (rural)	52	-9%	4,834	3.2

Existing North District UMCs in Colorado

Church	City	Serves
Wesley Chapel UMC	Altair	Black-led
First UMC Columbus	Columbus	Anglo
St. Paul UMC Columbus	Columbus	Black-led
Eagle Lake UMC	Eagle Lake	Anglo
Weimar UMC	Weimar	Anglo

3 · Proposed Restrictions & Priority for Proceeds

At 30% Hispanic and growing, the field warrants a strong Hispanic/Latino ministry priority alongside cross-cultural work in existing congregations. The Black population (13% of the field, +47% 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). Colorado 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.