Rural county. San Saba 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
5,802
2 census tracts
5-yr growth
-3%
+-160 people · proj. -3%
Hispanic
30%
1,178 Spanish-speakers (5+)
Black
2%
non-Anglo total 33%
Under 18
19%
Median income
$55,989
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
San Saba
10%
255
45%
San Saba County (rural)
-12%
-415
17%
2 · Feasibility — mission, plants & ministries
1 Rio Texas North District UMC
serve this county — 0 of them reach
non-Anglo communities (0 Hispanic-led, 0 Anglo+Hispanic ministry, 0 Black-led).
That is roughly 1 church per 5,802 residents
against a mission field that is 33% non-Anglo.
2 tracts
(5,802 people) have no UMC within a 15-minute drive;
the average tract is 13.9 mi from the nearest UMC.
Representation gap. The mission field is 33% non-Anglo, yet
none of the 1 North District UMC here is positioned to reach
Hispanic or Black communities. The Plan is explicit that this gap does not lessen the larger
Church's responsibility to bring the gospel to the people who live here — it sharpens it.
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
San Saba ◆
55
10%
2,815
13.3
San Saba County (rural) ◆
40
-12%
2,987
14.4
Existing North District UMCs in San Saba
Church
City
Serves
Cherokee UMC
Cherokee
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.
Non-urban policy (¶4). San Saba 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 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.