Rio Texas · 2025 Journal
What a ministry career looks like
Drawn from the appointment histories of all 660 clergy in the conference's records. The shape of a career depends almost entirely on order — so the numbers are split three ways, never blended.
Elders
Ordained, itinerant. The classic moving career — sent where the bishop appoints.
- Active today (104)
- 4 churches median · 3.8 mean14.5 yrs in so far · 16 mean
- Full career, now retired (262)
- 6 churches median · 6.1 meanover 29 yrs · 28.7 mean
- Typical appointment
- 3 yrs median · 4 mean36% last 1–2 yrs
Deacons
Ordained to a specialized ministry. Tend to stay put in one setting.
- Active today (24)
- 1 church median · 1.8 mean9 yrs in so far · 9.5 mean
- Full career, now retired (15)
- 1 church median · 1.5 meanover 18 yrs · 19.5 mean
- Typical appointment
- 5 yrs median · 6.4 mean26% last 1–2 yrs
Local pastors
Licensed, often part-time and bivocational; many enter as a second career.
- Active today (92)
- 2 churches median · 2.2 mean5 yrs in so far · 6.5 mean
- Full career, now retired (29)
- 3 churches median · 2.9 meanover 11 yrs · 12.4 mean
- Typical appointment
- 3 yrs median · 3.5 mean49% last 1–2 yrs
An elder's full career runs to 6 churches; a deacon's, often 1. Blending the orders would hide exactly this difference.
How long does one appointment last?
Local pastors move fastest; deacons stay longest.
Elders
median 3y · mean 4y · n=1925Deacons
median 5y · mean 6.4y · n=58Local pastors
median 3y · mean 3.5y · n=195Years in a single appointment → number of completed appointments. (Deacon counts are small — read as indicative.)
Has it changed?
Newer elders move more often.
Counting churches served per decade of service, elders who entered ministry recently are changing appointments more frequently than earlier generations did at the same stage.
Active elders — churches per decade of service, by the decade they entered ministry
By district
Mobility is broadly similar across districts.
District is matched by clergy name to the 2025 appointment roster (61% of active clergy matched, all orders); indicative.