We are The Mom Community —
MomCo
for short
MomCo is a non-profit organization that encourages and equips moms of young children to realize their potential as mothers, women and leaders, in relationship with Jesus and in partnership with the local church.
MomCo — then, simply known as MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)—was founded in 1973 when seven women in Colorado invited moms to meet regularly to grow together as women, parents, and leaders, with the ultimate goal of reaching women with the hope of Jesus.
Today, the small gathering they called MOPS now extends to 101+ countries, 25 languages, 72,000+ meetings a year and influences over a million moms annually.
As a Mom Community,
We raise our kids & one another.
We boldly elevate motherhood.
We embrace the unexpected & imperfect.
We understand our direction is more important than our speed.
We celebrate often & loudly.
We know every mom has a place with us.
We follow Jesus and invite others to journey with us.
MISSION STATEMENT
MomCo encourages and equips moms of young children to realize their potential as mothers, women and leaders, in relationship with Jesus, and in partnership with the local church.
— frequently asked questions
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.
No, our Statement of Christian Character, Statement of Faith, Ministry Values and We Are Statements remain unchanged.
“Co” in The MomCo is always short for Community.
Due to trademark limitations, we must stick with “MomCo” when referring to the brand.
The word “company” began as description for a “large group of people” and over time morphed into our modern concept that offers “company” as an employer. We reclaim the early French word “compagnie” which is defined as “society, friendship, intimacy” which is interchangeable with community. The central focus of MOPS has always been to create a mom community that provides opportunities to encounter Jesus. We began as the pioneering mom community with this mission, the first of its kind.
MOPS groups will transition to The MomCo Meetups by the Fall 2024.
As we have done with the MOPS name, we ask that all MOPS groups use The MomCo brand name in your own meetup name. We want your name to represent the uniqueness of your community, so we only offer suggestions for how to best name your meetup. ex: The MomCo of Cookeville, MomCo of Cookeville, or Cookeville MomCo
We are asking all MOPS Groups to transition to The MomCo brand name no later than Fall 2024.
Thank you for joining the The MomCo! We are excited to walk alongside you during this transition. We will be by your side every step of the way! We will offer a series of webinars and open forums over the coming months to help resource all of our leaders for these changes. If you are a coordinator, please reach out to your cohort leader for any questions. If you are a church, leader or mom, please connect with us at service@themom.co.
Yes, we will be sunsetting the term “MOMSnext” in the future. The new name was carefully chosen to be inclusive of all moms. We recognize that we had outgrown our name and were unintentionally excluding moms with the term “mothers of preschoolers”. We offer belonging for all moms. We serve pregnant moms through moms of school-aged kids, but now under one name.
These trademarked names are still held by The MomCo.
The MomCo name and brand is designed with every country in mind. The only change for our Global moms is that if you live in the United Kingdom, Australia or selected countries in Africa, the name is The MumCo
The short answer, both. Treat “MomCo” as a noun that can stand alone with “the” in many cases. However, if you do have a “the” proceeding “MomCo,” capitalize the “the.” Both versions are trademarked and so either is acceptable. You will see logos and products using both versions.
The term “MOMSnext” will be sunset in the next few years. As groups consider naming their MomCo Meetups, we encourage leaders to update their affinities and group descriptions to highlight the demographics their meetups serve. We recognize that some groups meet together as MOPS & MOMSnext, while other groups meet separately. Either option is still available. Please determine what best serves your community. We encourage leaders to consider adding additional groups to broaden the audiences they serve. Starting in April of 2023, any group leader can add a group to their church (or host organization) for free inside Group Management. We would encourage Cohort Leaders to demonstrate the ability to add groups for free and to edit their groups affinities and descriptions.
The proper designation in the new naming convention is “meetup,” you’ll see HQ begin to migrate all uses of “group” to “meetup.”
We suggest leaders begin planning their rebrand in February, this will allow ample time to launch pre-registration for the upcoming year under the new brand.
Your MomCo Meetup is a ministry of your church and as such, the church is the best resource to determine what steps are necessary to change the name from a marketing, financial, and business registration perspective. The regulations and processes differ from state to state and we encourage you to connect with local resources as your church advises.
— the rebrand story
From MOPS to MomCo
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 3 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.
Ready to find your mom besties?
Whatever type of mom you are, or season you're in, whether you prefer to meet online or in-person, we've got a group for you.
