Building Faith Online

Your best friend, your sister, your brother, or another family member will soon have a new baby added to their family. They have chosen you over every other person in the world to be godparent to this most precious person in their lives. You are excited that they thought enough of you to ask you to take on this responsibility. You have never been a godparent and you thought of declining but your friend or family member is depending on you. You can’t let them down. So, you say, “Yes.”

You were christened or dedicated, as it is called in some churches, years ago. Uncle Harry and Aunt Jane were asked to be your godparent. But, somehow you never felt they understood the responsibility or just didn’t live up to it and there should be more to being a godparent than the occasional gift you received. You want to do the job right. But, you are not really sure what the job requires. You definitely don’t want to turn to Uncle Harry and Aunt Jane for advice. You are thinking, “What am I to do to fulfill the responsibility I just committed to?” This article will save the day for you. The following provides the job description of a godparent.

History

From The History of Godparents By Professor Ian Markham and the Revd Giles Legood
Co-authors – The Godparent’s Handbook (SPCK, 1997), we learn that “Originally the need for Godparents (or sponsors as they used to be called) arose when people converted to Christianity from another religion. In the ancient world, there were many religions each with different practices and beliefs. When members of a different religion (what Christians then called pagans) decided that they wanted to become Christians, they would offer themselves for baptism. They would have to approach the local Bishop (the person who had pastoral responsibility for Christians in a particular town) who would want to be reassured of the genuineness of the decision. Converts would then be asked to find a Christian friend who would vouch for them. This friend would undertake to the Bishop that they would support the convert and ensure that s/he would be helped to become a faithful member of the church.”

“In the second century the idea arose of having a sponsor for babies when they were baptized. In many ways it was a natural extension of the existing practice for adults. In the same way that non-Christians received help to grow into their new faith so, it was felt, did a baby.”

God Parenting Today

As I researched godparents, I discovered that godparent is not a legal guardian, someone to remembers birthdays with generous gifts, or someone you can always call on to baby-sit. These are important roles and if practiced will no doubt bring much pleasure to your child over the years.

My research also revealed that all churches and belief systems share the same overall goal. Godparents are adults who are dedicated to the spiritual and moral development of a child. Expectations can vary from church to church or between Christians and non-Christians.

Associated with the church and with baptism

Associated with baptism in some churches, the responsibilities of the godparent includes:

1. Praying for their godchild regularly 2. Setting an example of Christian living 3. Helping their godchild to grow in the faith of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in which he was baptized 4. Encouraging their godchild to follow Christ and avoid evil 5. Helping their godchild to look forward to confirmation.
Associated with the church and not associated with baptism

In churches that practice Believers Baptism, the child must be mature enough to make the decision to follow Christ him or herself before being baptized. Therefore, the responsibilities of the godparent vary in a very significant way from those practicing infant baptism. The responsibilities include:
1. Praying for their godchild regularly 2. Setting an example of Christian living 3. Helping their godchild to grow in the faith of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to the point they are able to make the decision to follow Christ on their own. 4. Encouraging their godchild to follow Christ and avoid evil 5. Helping their godchild to look forward to becoming a Christian.
Not associated with the church

The non-believer, those with no belief in God, will often ask one to serve as godparent to their child. Usually, they are not expecting their child to be led or trained in the way of Christ. They are providing a way for their child to get a good moral and ethical example to follow.

With the above information, you can approach your new godparent responsibility with confidence. However, I recommend a discussion with the parent where you share your understanding of the godparent role and get their understanding as well. Being asked to be a godparent is an opportunity to have a permanent and positive effect on a life and it is a great honor. You will want to perform it as well as you can.

For more on this subject, I recommend you read:
1. Godparenting 101 from the newsletter Agape published by St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Eugene, Oregon. Posted on July 4, 2006 (www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/godparenting101.aspx). 2. The Role of Godparents in Today’s Society by ingrid sbacchi bairstow (www.baystateparent.com/news/2006/0401/Articles/030.html). 3. Roll of The Godparent Prepared by The Catholic Doors Ministry (www.catholicdoors.com/courses/godpar.htm).