Our rally cry is to raise moms to new heights, arm in arm, side-by-side.
Here at The MomCo by MOPS International, we are on a mission to call moms to elevate themselves and motherhood, and ultimately, help them to find freedom in Jesus.
Our mission isn’t changing… we are renaming to be better able to fulfill our mission.
Ten years ago, we began to discover challenges with our name. The acronym MOPS immediately conjures a vision of cleaning supplies, which was increasingly derailing compelling conversations about the value of a mothering community. The context of the phrase “mothers of preschoolers” has narrowed over the past 10-15 years to mean only moms who have “3-5-year-olds who attend school”, not the broader inclusion of all moms with children ages newborn to 5, that it previously meant in our society. As we expand globally, the name “MOPS” is not often translatable, and when it is has extremely negative connotations. For example, in German MOPS at best, means “mother of pugs” or, at worst, is derogatory slang for breast – not ideal for a mothering organization.
In 2017, our board commissioned our staff to begin an extensive research journey. We conducted focus groups, pastor interviews, meetings with branding experts and other non-profits to determine if our name was becoming a barrier to our mission of engaging moms with the message of Jesus. We asked thousands of questions and spent intense hours in prayer, seeking God’s direction at each decision point. As we compiled all the feedback, it became clear that as God has grown this ministry and the organization has expanded, we have outgrown the name MOPS.
And at that point, we mourned because the thought of a name change felt sad and scary. There is so much legacy connected with the name. But we also knew that we needed to be brave if we wanted to continue to be the pioneering movement that God created us to be. So, we said Yes. And we also started asking God for the perfect new name that would lead us into our next 50 years.
We had three goals for the new name:
- It could not be routinely misleading.
- It must convey that all moms are welcome.
- It would invite a future generation of moms into a community where they can meet Jesus .
Our mission remains the same as it was in 1973 when seven women gathered in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Our focus on Jesus is at the forefront of all we do. Our mission is not changing. The only change is a name refresh that brings more clarity about what we do.
The central focus of MOPS has always been to create a mom community that provides opportunities to encounter Jesus. We were pioneering mom community with this mission, the first of its kind.
We grew a U.S. based mom community into a global mom community, a military mom community, a mentor mom community, a MomsNext mom community, a teen mom community and even an online mom community. Our specialty is creating a transformational mom community. Therefore, our new name is shorthand for The Mom Community.
Announcing The MomCo by MOPS International.
As a mom community, we:
Raise our kids & one another.
Boldly elevate motherhood.
Embrace the unexpected & imperfect.
Understand our direction is more important than our speed.
Celebrate often & loudly.
Know every mom has a place with us.
Follow Jesus and invite others to journey with us.
Who We Are
JESUS FOLLOWERS
We are compelled by the movement of Jesus Christ and invite others to explore their own faith journey toward him.
John 14:6
KNOWN BY WHAT WE ARE FOR
We look to Jesus’ footsteps for how to walk through the world, which allows us to be radically gracious in expression and association.
Matthew 22:36-40
ADVOCATES
We are passionate proponents for the value of motherhood and the influence of women.
Proverbs 31:8-9
SISTERHOOD CULTIVATORS
We build circles of women who love each other like family because we believe in the transformative potential of relationships and mentoring.
Hebrews 10:25
KINGDOM ENTHUSIASTS
We believe in God’s redemptive work in the world which encourages us to be playful in spirit, generous at heart, and faith-filled in confession.
Matthew 6:33
MULTILINGUAL
We lead communication of a timeless message to a culture of many voices, dialects and backgrounds.
1 Corinthians 9:22
EXPANSIVE
Every mom has a place with us. We uphold a boldness of inclusion because we know there is room for a vast collage of women who thirst for Jesus.
Luke 5:31-32
Rebrand Timeline
From September to April, you’ll see us gradually change over to The MomCo
September 8
REBRAND ANNOUNCEMENT
November 7
MOMCON WEBSITE LAUNCHES
February 13
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES TO THE MOMCO
March 26
THE MOMCO WEBSITE LAUNCHES
August 2024
MOPS GROUPS BECOME MOMCO MEETUPS
Rebrand Timeline
From September to April, you’ll see us gradually change over to The MomCo
September 8
REBRAND ANNOUNCEMENT
November 7
MOMCON WEBSITE LAUNCHES
February 13, 2024
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES
March 26, 2024
August 2024
Press Release
For Release Sept 8, 2023
MOPS International, a Denver-based Christian ministry providing a mom community to mothers of young children around the globe, announced on Friday that it will rebrand to “TheMomCo by MOPS International” in Spring 2024 at the start of the new ministry planning year.
President and CEO Mandy Arioto announced the news to a crowd of 5,000 MOPS leaders, mentors and member moms in Chicago for the annual leadership conference.
“The steadfast piece of MOPS has always been to create a mom community that offers mothering resources and the opportunity to encounter Jesus. We were the pioneering mom community with this mission in the 1970s. We grew to a USA-reach mom community and then into a global mom community, a military mom community, a mentor mom community, a MOMSnext mom community, a working mom community and even an online mom community. We introduce moms to Jesus through mom community, where moms of little ones can thrive. Therefore, our new name is shorthand for The MomCommunity. We are ‘The MomCo by MOPS International!’”
Two of the Denver women who founded MOPS in 1973 endorsed the news via video message:
“MOPS has always been a safe place to admit you have needs,” stated Maxine Schideler.
“God, you have done such work, and you can tell he’s not done yet, at all,” commented Jan Horner.
“Get ready for something new,” commented Jan Horner.
Also, voicing support for the rebrand were current and former leaders and employees of the 50-year-old women’s ministry that has groups in all 50 states across America and in 75 countries around the world, with materials translated into 20 languages. The group initially focused only on MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers), meaning mothers with children younger than age 5. Now, it includes gatherings of moms of school-age children through a subgroup called MomsNext, and has a mentoring role for moms in later seasons.
“Essentially, we have outgrown our original acronym” explained Arioto. “Our board and staff have been aware for nearly 10 years that there was a growing disconnect between our name and our actual reach, and confusion regarding “who is a mom of preschoolers,” as more children start school early. Moms of newborns were not understanding that our groups included them and moms with school-aged children requested the additional reach into those next mothering years. Pastors wanted a more intuitive connection to serving the mothers of their communities that did not imply mopping a floor! All of this and translation challenges impacting our global groups, led us to consider updating our name to fully reflect who we are and what we do while still retaining our legacy.”
“Our mission has not changed” added board chairman, Greg Bowlin. “We still exist to encourage and equip moms of young children to reach their potential as moms, women and leaders, in relationship with Jesus and in partnership with the local church. We will continue this trusted partnership with churches around the world as we move into the next 50 years. This new name is built on a strong legacy of biblical integrity and community building.”
MOPS leaders and churches will be receiving all the transition information they need over the next few months, and “The MomCo by MOPS International” will be implemented by all MOPS groups starting in April 2024.
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For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact Kelly Williams at kwilliams@mops.org.
