What each church’s pages say
| Church | The word used | The role | What the page asks of them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglican | Godparents; sponsors. |
To make promises on behalf of a child too young to make them, and to encourage the child in the life and faith of the Christian community. |
To be physically present at the service. |
| Baptist | Neither statement read for this guide names one. |
Both statements describe baptism as a believer’s own profession of faith. |
The church itself is the place to ask. |
| Catholic | Godparent; sponsor. |
A Christian role model and mentor, who agrees to help the parents raise the child in the practice of the Catholic faith. |
Four requirements, from age 16 to practising the faith, listed below. |
| Uniting | Neither the Basis of Union nor the Our faith page names one. |
Children are presented by parents or guardians, and the church takes responsibility for their instruction in the faith. |
The congregation is the place to ask. |
Anglican: godparents who answer for the child
When a child is too young to make the promises of baptism, the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne says, the parents usually choose godparents to make them “for and on behalf of the child”. A godparent needs to be physically present during the ceremony to do this.
The Anglican Church of Australia’s service Holy Baptism in Holy Communion shows what those promises are. The priest asks the sponsors to stand in view of the congregation, then asks whether they accept the responsibilities of bringing the child for baptism, whether they will answer on the child’s behalf, and whether they will encourage the child by their own prayers and example, friendship and love. Their answers are “I will”, “I am” and “I will, with God’s help.”
Later the congregation prays for the sponsors and families: that they may want to share the gospel with the child. The full order is on the page on infant baptism in the Anglican Church.
Baptist: a believer’s own profession
The Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT describe baptism as a public declaration of a person’s own faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. The Baptist Union of Victoria describes it as the immersion of believers “upon the profession of their faith”.
Neither statement describes anyone answering on the person’s behalf, and neither names a godparent or sponsor. Each Baptist church is autonomous, Australian Baptist Ministries says, so anything further is for the church itself. More on the page on believers’ baptism and immersion.
Catholic: who may be a godparent
A godparent is more than someone who stands beside the child during the ceremony, the Archdiocese of Brisbane says. They are called to be a Christian role model and mentor, and agree to help the parents bring the child up in the practice of the Catholic faith.
In the archdiocese’s summary of what the Church requires, a godparent is:
- 16 or older;
- someone other than the child’s parent;
- confirmed, and has received First Holy Communion;
- practising the Catholic faith, and able to support the godchild as their faith grows.
In the Code of Canon Law
The Code uses the word “sponsor”. Where possible, it says, a person being baptised is given a sponsor, who helps an adult through Christian initiation, or presents an infant for baptism together with the parents, and then helps the baptised person live a Christian life (canon 872).
There is to be only one male sponsor, one female sponsor, or one of each (canon 873). On age, the Code’s rule is the completed sixteenth year, unless the diocesan bishop has set another age or the pastor or minister grants an exception for a just cause (canon 874).
Someone baptised into a non-Catholic ecclesial community may serve only alongside a Catholic sponsor, and then only “as a witness of the baptism” (canon 874).
Uniting: the church takes responsibility
The Uniting Church’s Basis of Union says the church will baptise children who are presented for baptism, and that the church takes responsibility for their “instruction and nourishment in the faith”. Its Our faith page says children are presented for Baptism “by parents or guardians”.
Neither page names a godparent or sponsor, or sets requirements for one. A congregation can say how it does this; the church’s Find your church page links to congregations by state.
Back to all six pages or the words each church uses.