What does it mean to be godparents? In this article, Vincent Murphy discusses the purpose, and ministry of godparents.

The duties of a child’s parents are many and massive, and by no means least amongst them is the blessed duty of raising their child in the Christian faith. This task is so important that the Church, according to ancient practice, calls upon parents to arrange dedicated help in assisting them to ensure that their children grow up to know and love Jesus Christ. These, we call godparents, and theirs is a call to a very special, dedicated, and personal ministry of discipling the child as he or she grows up. For this reason, a godparent needs to be someone who trusts firmly in Christ, and who will be in a position to encourage the child regularly in Christ as he or she grows up.

What will this look like? When a child is young, one of the greatest influences is that of example; and so a good godparent seeks to always set a good example of a godly and Christ-centred life, providing a wonderful role model of prayer, Bible reading, and regular Church involvement. As a child grows, Gospel conversation becomes an important part of encouragement in Christ; that is, choosing to deliberately talk with the child about what Jesus came to do, what His death achieved, and what it means to trust in Him. Another very helpful thing a godparent can do, especially with an older child, is to spend time reading the Bible, discussing it, and praying together.

Some godparents choose to use gifts (such as the books and music on this page) as part of their ministry, carefully selecting such resources that will help the child grow in their knowledge and love of God. If you are thinking about this, then the following publications may be good options:

• Ages 2-7:    The Big Picture Story Bible (David Helm)
• Ages 3-8:    The Jesus Storybook Bible (Sally Lloyd-Jones)
• Ages 6-12:   A Bible in a simpler translation (not KJV! – maybe NiRV or NLT?)

Finally, for godparents reading this, know that your faithful ministry in Christ is very important, not only to your godchild, but also to the whole Church.