Bishop Appoints Director of Congregational Vitality and New Faith Communities

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey announces the appointment of Rev. Ray Altman as the Director of Congregational Vitality and New Faith Communities for the Rio Texas Conference, effective July 1, 2025. In this role, Ray will lead efforts to identify, mobilize, and connect the faithful ministry that already exists within our conference and to help ignite and release new ministries that are emerging. He will work to expand our definitions of vitality, our models for new faith communities, and our metrics of fruitfulness. Ray will join the Director’s Table and relate to the work of the cabinet.

“Ray brings a unique set of skills and giftings to this work. He will help us engage new communities with the gospel message and help strengthen our local congregations. I am excited that Rev. Altman has said yes to joining this team of conference leadership and look forward to his wise and innovative counsel,” shares Bishop Harvey.

After 11 years in traditional church settings, Ray has spent the last 6 years appointed to The New Wineskin Initiative. In this appointment, he has planted two faith communities, one online and another based in his neighborhood. He also developed a cohort model training ministry for clergy and church teams focused on missional leadership, neighboring, and beyond-the-walls engagement. Ray will continue his ministry supporting the New Wineskin Initiative.

“I’m humbled to be invited into leadership among a conference of congregations, lay people, and clergy colleagues that I know God is working with and through. I’m convinced God has called us to share our unique witness by word and deed, through innovation and tradition, to current and future generations. We are called to do this in ways that are ancient and new and that bring about our own transformation and the transformation of our communities.” 

Ray was ordained as an Elder in full connection in 2011 after graduating from Union Theological Seminary in 2008 and Southwestern University in 2005. He served as Associate Pastor at Kerrville First UMC from 2008-2014 and was appointed to Leander UMC from 2014-2019. He has been a regular innovator of church models that explore alternative ways of engaging discipleship, evangelism, and community building. In the last two years, through New Wineskins’ training cohorts and recent work with Rio Texas Transforming Communities Network, Ray has learned from and accompanied over 50 churches in missional work.

Ray has been married to Megan, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, for 18 years. They have three children, Asher (13), Levi (11), and Katherine (9) who are each active in school and extracurricular activities and play important roles in their neighborhood ministry. They love family, travel adventures, sharing wonderful food, and playing with their dog, Duncan. Ray enjoys the San Antonio Spurs, funk, jazz, house music, sci-fi movies, playing ultimate frisbee, and meeting his Camp Gladiator friends early in the morning to exercise.