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Alpha Moms

By May 1, 2008June 6th, 2014No Comments

A new buzzword in the marketing industry is “Alpha Mom.” A recent USA Today article describes these women as “educated, tech savvy, Type A moms with a common goal: mommy excellence.” According to media analysts, these moms may or may not work outside the home, but they are the epitome of resourcefulness, balance, and competence. Marketers are tuned in to these high-fashion, high-tech moms, because—besides being able to multitask—they are trendsetters. Thus they yield a great influence in their consumer oriented world. Even politicians are courting these moms for political support, because they are seen as an important voting block.

Not so new

The interesting fact about this new phenomenon is that it really isn’t new. Just glance at Proverbs 31 to see the first Alpha Mom. While she was a woman with a passion for her family and her husband, she was also proficient in caring for needs outside the home. She was an industrious, innovative worker who juggled her responsibilities in a calm and resourceful way. She was probably even considered high fashion, since her whole household wore scarlet and purple, colors usually reserved for royalty. She might not have traded on eBay, but she knew how to buy real estate. She was respected by those who knew her best, and God called her a virtuous woman. And she certainly had a profound impact on her family, who would rise up and call her blessed.

Mom’s “spirituality”

According to a Barna study in 2007, moms are part of the “most faith-minded and spiritually active segments of the American population.” This study was based on more than 10,000 adults, including almost 2,000 women who were parenting children under the age of 18. “About one out of every five adults in America is a mom with children under age 18, meaning there are currently about 45 million moms of young children in the nation.” The study revealed that “stunningly, among the young women in the Mosaic generation who are parents (that is, the moms who are currently ages 18 to 22), four out of five are not married [79%].” This indicates that millions of young moms are trying to succeed at parenthood without the built-in support system of a husband.

In addition to the needs of this group, the Barna study shows how Buster moms, those between the ages of 23 and 41, “exhibit less passion for spirituality and less commitment to Christianity compared to Boomer moms [ages 42–60].” For instance, young moms “are significantly less likely than Boomer moms to be absolutely committed to Christianity (53% versus 67%). They are also less likely to say they feel compelled to share their faith with others[,] and young moms are less inclined to describe their faith as very important in their life. . . . If moms are the spiritual backbone of families today—and they often are—it is imperative to find new approaches that help moms connect faith and family, especially for young mothers.”

Reaching moms

The question is, What are churches doing to develop their Alpha Moms into spiritually mature, virtuous women? Everyone from Wall Street to Hollywood is trying to influence their thoughts and development, but they need the Word of God to adequately maintain their spiritual priorities.

Women’s ministries that are uniquely geared to the challenges of women in our society can help transform this group of women in America into a powerful force that will make a difference in our world. The Christian Educator’s Handbook of Teaching states that “a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

This observation would be equally true of a godly mother’s influence. In fact, I think the world at large has grossly underestimated the power of the Alpha Mom. Certainly the spiritual influence she exerts on the character, morality, and education of her children far outweighs her influence in the marketing or political realm. In an era of children killing children, teen suicide, underachieving students, and myriad other social ills, moms who pass on their values and commitment to God are invaluable to society. Whether they are called Alpha Moms or virtuous women, the church cannot afford to neglect this important segment of society that literally holds the future in their arms.

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