Why do we need Godparents?

A LEAFLET FOR GODPARENTS

Outlining the roles and responsibilities of

God parents in Baptism

If you are thinking of having a child baptised in church, you will need to
find suitable godparents. People are often chosen as godparents
because they are friends or relatives, without realising what
godparents are for.
The
reason
for
having
godparents
is
because baptising a child involves making
commitments on behalf of the child.
The baptism service is for those who want to
publically state their desire to bring up their child as
a Christian.
It therefore involves statements of faith and promises of commitment to
Jesus and the Church.
As well as the words of commitment, the child is
baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit by pouring water from the font
over the childs head.
Prayers are also said for the child, for the parents
and the godparents asking for Gods help to enable
them to fulfil their promises and commitments to the
child.
The godparents should therefore be people who are committed to the
Christian faith, who can support the family in their Christian upbringing
of the child.
It is a legal requirement that all godparents must be
themselves baptised and ideally they should also have been
confirmed, or at least regular churchgoers.

for the Parish of

St Peters, Dunston

What does being a godparent involve?

If a friend or relative asks you to become a godparent you will probably
feel very honoured. Its natural to want to agree to the request. But
first it is best to ask yourself about the promises you will be required to
make as part of the service.
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At the baptism service you will be required to make the

following answers to these important questions, along
with the parents:
Do you turn to Christ? I turn to Christ.
Do you repent of your sins? I repent of my sins.
Do you renounce evil? I renounce evil.

These questions are about making a conscious choice on behalf of the

child, to help them begin their Christian journey. To start them off in
life facing the right direction towards Christ and to turn away from
anything that hurts Jesus in thought or word or action. It is about
wanting Jesus to be your god/childs guide in the journey of life.
Knowing that we often get things wrong, we can, when we
acknowledge our mistake turn again to Jesus and ask and receive his
forgiveness asking him to help us start again and praying for the Holy
Spirit to work within us, to change and transform the rough edges.
In the service you will also be asked the following questions:
1.

Will you pray for them, draw them by your example

into the community of faith and walk with them in the way of
Christ?

2.

Will you care for them, and help them to take their place within
the life and worship of Christs Church?

These questions are a reminder that as their god/parents you have

the prime responsibility for guiding and helping them in their early
years. That your task is to help them to learn more about Jesus, to
follow his example and to help them take their place within the
worshipping community of the Church. This means that you must
already have begun the journey yourself. It doesnt matter where you
are on the journey, just that you have taken the first steps and are
willing to continue to take more steps on your own journey of faith.
You will also be asked to affirm, together with those being baptised
your common faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the
one for whom we exist?
Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for
us and rose again?
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of
God and makes Christ known in the world?

Everyone who becomes a godparent makes promises like these at the

baptism service, but not everyone is made aware of this in advance.
Becoming a godparent is something which people should only do, if
they can make these promises with integrity.

What do I do next?
Being a godparent is an opportunity to play an important
part in supporting a childs upbringing as a Christian.
If you are thinking about whether or not to become a
godparent we recommend that you take some time to
consider carefully the information in this leaflet.
You may want to talk things over further with the person who has
asked you to be a godparent. Alternatively contact one of the
churchwardens or the Minister taking the service.

What preparation is needed?

The Minister taking the service will arrange to meet with the parents
and where possible the godparents to make sure that they are aware
of the commitment that they are undertaking.
There will also be an explanation of the service so that it will be familiar
on the day.
The godparents are to be people who will faithfully fulfil their
responsibilities both by their care for the children committed to their
charge and by the example of their own godly living.
If a chosen godparent is not baptized, it is possible for them to be
baptized after appropriate teaching, in which case, they should speak
to one of the churchwardens.
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