What are Godparents? A Rookie Anglican Guide
One of the greatest blessings of my life is having two godsons; they are brothers, the sons of two of my close friends. Indeed, I remember the day a decade ago when their parents sat me down to ask me to be the godfather of their boys. At the time, we were all making the journey from the Baptist tradition. Their boys, although not infants, were still young and had not been baptized. Therefore, my friends chose to do so, thus naming godparents for them as well, and gave me the honor—and responsibility—of being their godfather. So, what does it mean to be a godparent?
Nowadays, naming friends as godparents is often more of a social honor—it even happens outside Christian circles. Parents often choose a particular friend to be like a surrogate aunt or uncle. At most, in these cases, parents might select godparents to raise the children in the event of their own passing.
Sponsored
While those elements are also true for me and my godsons (it isn’t always the case), their parents and I understood that the Christian definition of godparent—the Church’s long-established role of a godparent—is a much higher calling. For centuries, it has been the godparents’ primary role, second only to that of the parents themselves, to raise and disciple children in the Christian faith. They assist the parents in obeying the proverb,
Train up a child in the way he should go;
Proverbs 22:6
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
A Brief History
In the earliest centuries of Christianity, sponsors stood alongside new converts at their baptism, promising to guide and support them in the Christian life. These sponsors vouched for the sincerity of the new believer’s faith, discipled them in Christian belief, and supported them in living the Christian life.
As generations of Christians developed within the Church, infant baptism became the norm as parents embraced the promise that “the promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39). The baptism sponsors, now referred to as godparents, took on the role of speaking on behalf of the child. They made the baptismal promises prescribed in the liturgy and ensured the child would be raised in the faith.
During the English Reformation, the Church of England retained godparents, but gave them an even more explicit role in teaching the gospel to their godchildren. Additionally, the Church at that time required three godparents (two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex), although modern Anglican churches often allow for one or two.
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the classic Anglican Prayer Book and still the standard for much of the Anglican world (GAFCON reiterates this in its Jerusalem Declaration), places three responsibilities on godparents:
- Making Vows on the Child’s Behalf
- Renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh.
- Profess the Christian faith in the Apostles’ Creed.
- Promise obedience to God’s commandments.
- Ensuring Christian Instruction:
- “It is your parts and duties to see that this Infant be taught… the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life.”
- Preparing for Confirmation
- Godparents were to ensure that the child was brought to the bishop for Confirmation, thereby taking these vows personally.
The 2019 Book of Common Prayer
The ACNA’s 2019 Book of Common Prayer continues to expect godparents for children brought into the Church by baptism. It instructs,
Each candidate for Holy Baptism is to be sponsored by one or more baptized persons, who are themselves committed to Christ and commended by the example of their own holy living… Sponsors of infants, commonly called godparents, present their candidates, make promises in their own names, and also take vows on behalf of their candidates.
The Book of Common Prayer (2019), pg. 160
It carries forward the 1662 duties but speaks even more strongly in terms of lifelong discipleship and the role of the Christian community:
- Making Vows on the Child’s Behalf
- As in the classic Prayer Book, the godparent renounces the devil, the world, and the flesh, professes the Christian faith through the Apostles’ Creed, and promises obedience to God’s commandments for the child.
- Christian Formation
- “It is your task that this child is taught… the Faith that you will profess as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. He is to put his faith in Christ and learn the Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and all other things which a Christian ought to know, believe, and do for the welfare of his soul.” (For the italics, female pronouns replace male pronouns if the child is female.)
- Preparing for Confirmation
- “When he has embraced all these, he is to come to the Bishop to be confirmed, that he may publicly claim the Faith for his own and be further strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve Christ and his kingdom.”
- Setting a Christian Example
- As the godparents have made the baptismal vows for these children, it becomes their duty to lead by “the example of their own holy living” and by “prayer and encouragement in the Christian life.”
- Congregational Involvement
- An additional feature of the 2019 liturgy is that the entire church also promises to help nurture the child in the faith. While this is particularly the godparents’ responsibility, the whole church is also a “godparent” of sorts to these newly baptised children.
The Blessing of and for Godparents
The godparent-godchild relationship can be a lifelong blessing to both. To the children, godparents are a perpetual and loving spiritual support, example, and guide. To the godparents, the godchild will be a lifelong disciple and, later in life, an encouragement. These godparents will see their spiritual legacy passed down to future generations through their godchildren’s children and godchildren.
On a personal note, as someone who, simply by circumstance, has entered his 40s without children of his own, I can say that my godsons are an additional blessing to the childless as well. They have brought out paternal instincts in me that I otherwise would not have known. Exercising my ability and responsibility to encourage their Christian faith has involved numerous discussions, activities, and gifts intended to direct them to Jesus. For the youngest, I have even influenced his homeschool reading list. Your choice of a godparent may be an intentional or unintentional blessing to that person to a degree you might never fully comprehend.
Choosing a Godparent
For all the above reasons, choosing godparents for your children may be one of the most critical decisions you make for their lives. It’s tempting to pick a sibling or close friend, and those may be good candidates. However, the first priority should be to choose someone with a deep, abiding faith in Christ who will
- Pray regularly for your child.
- Teach and encourage them in faith, helping them know Christ.
- Live as a Christian example they can follow.
- Support you and the wider church in raising them to love and serve the Lord.
Do this, and your children will be blessed by godparents who, alongside you, will accompany your children in the way of Jesus. You will gently lead them by word and deed toward his Kingdom.
Ideas for Godparenting
So, what should you do if you’ve become a godparent? The ultimate goal is to preach the gospel to your godchildren through word and deed in a posture of love. Here are a few starter suggestions.
- Give them quality time. If you live in the same area as your godchildren, consider spending quality time with them. Take them out for the day and check in with how they are doing in life and their relationship with God. This provides wisdom and serves as a life example. If you don’t live in the same area as your godchildren, visit when possible.
- Maintain a connection. Especially if you don’t live close by, consider calling your godchildren and sending cards on important occasions, such as the anniversary of their baptism. Be intentional in discussing the spiritual significance of those times.
- Help them see God in the world around them. Have outings and discussions that relate their favorite activities to the truths and goodness of God, whether those be nature, sports, the arts, etc.
- Give gifts that encourage their faith. As an example, I bought new Bibles for my godsons as they entered new eras of their lives (graduating from “children’s” to more grown-up editions, for example)and Anglican prayer beads, among other gifts. As life events happen—their first communion, confirmation, wedding, and the birth of their own children—be present to them, showing Christlike love and pointing them back to him.
Ultimately, the secret is to know and love your godchildren well. Your caring presence in their lives will give you the voice and opportunity to speak into their lives. That’s the love that mirrors our own Father’s love for us—the kind of love that leads to salvation.
Image by Koca777 from Getty Images, courtesy of Canva. Digitally edited by Jacob Davis.
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