Question 44: Why don’t Baptists have godparents?

Answer: To be honest, I am not totally familiar with the concept of “godparents.” According to the dictionary, a godmother or godfather is one who “sponsors a person at baptism.” It was also my understanding that the “godparents” would assume parental responsibilities for that child in the event of the premature death of the parents. I would assume that the reason that Baptist don’t practice the formal concept of “god parenting” is because there is no clear scriptural evidence and support for it in the Bible. The principles for the New Testament church are clearly delineated in the Bible and should be followed by churches of today – they should not be “invented” by man. However, it is my belief that every parent should have such a plan in place that clearly documents the care for their children in the event of their premature deaths. This plan should include the identification of who would become the legal parental guardians of their children in the event of such a tragedy.