Did you have any issues with choosing your child's God Parents?

Question

Was your Minister/ Priest/ Pastor so strict that he/she wanted you to chose only those of the same denomination for your child's sponsors?

Our Pastor is being overly strict, in my opinon. He insists that we find sponsors that are LCMS, like us. The only problem is that our friends and family (the ones that go to church on a regular basis and who are "spiritually mature") are LCMS, but they attend a differnent denomination simply because they found a church that is more fun for their children....they want to make church fun for their children... I want that quality in our child's God Parents!!! But, our Pastor is telling us to find other sponsors!!! How frustrating!

Furthermore, this couple (our sister in law and my husbands' brother) that we want as our child's Godparents will raise our children should anything happen to my husband and me. This couple is very responsible. The have brought Christ into their lives in more ways than one; and that is what is most important to my husband and me.

Answer 1

Since Godparents are a religious distinction, it seems perfectly reasonable to me to have them be the same denomination as the child--otherwise the religious influence they have may go against the godchild's and families beliefs.

If denominational choices are as trivial as what is "fun" for children though, it seems that no one has that deep a belief in the differences between denominations.

Edit: The guardians that you name in your will are not the same as Godparents. So, its not as though your pastor is telling you that they couldn't or wouldn't do a fabulous job of being guardians. After rereading your question it sounds like you may have the same religious beliefs--both LCMS (I don't know what religious denomination that is) but attend different congregations. Different denominations would be Catholice vs Lutheran vs Methodist, different congregations are SAME religion but different church. I actually have heard of people being the same religion but being discouraged from being Godparents by the priest because they don't live close, you need to discuss it with your pastor and see if you can all come to an agreement.

Answer 2

How my family picked Godparents was by choosing the ones that they felt would be able to provide for their children in case something bad happened to the parents.With this I don't mean pick the ones with more $$$ lol ... but think of it this way, the pastor would someday go his own way and you will loose contact with him. You and your children and the godparents you choose will always be in some sort of contact, and if you choose people that are close to you, wether family members or friends, then even better ya know :-) , and like you said, you want to find godparents that make the religion fun for your children as they made it fun for theirs.
Besides, the one raising YOUR kids is YOU, not the pastor.

Answer 3

I would be horribly offended if our pastor felt as though he had the right and/or responsibility to tell us who our son's Godparents should be! You choose Godparent's for your child based on so many things, and it should be the choice solely of the child's parents. If your pastor continues to insist you change your choice of Godparents, or won't perform the baptism, I would seriously spend some time reflecting on whether or not this person has the qualities you want in a spiritual leader. Make the decision that is right for your family, not your pastor.

Answer 4

I know how you feel. When my children were being dedicated, we weren't even allowed to choose the godparents, our minister did!
I was very upset.
In my opinion, you are the parent, therefor you should choose the people you want to be responsible for your child's spiritual well being.
The godparents our minister chose moved out of the country, and we haven't seen or heard from them in 3 years...don't let your pastor overrule your heart.

Answer 5

you ultimately have to do what you feel is best for your family. While religion is all fine and dandy if that's what you want in life, don't let it cloud your judgement. Your gut is telling you something, you should listen. And if it's simply having the people you want be Godparents to your kids, then you need to discuss with your pastor the option of finding someone else to perform the ceremony.

Answer 6

We only have one son, and the people we chose to be his God Parent's aren't even in our sphere of influence any longer, so I can only imagine what you are going through with the selection process.

I feel it's not your pastor's responsibility to mandate who your child's God Parents are. While it's great that he's concerned, truth is you and your Husband are the end-all decision makers when it comes to any and all things concerning your child!

Stick with your decision - who knows, you may choose to change to their church before it's all said and done!

Best wishes!

Answer 7

Maybe you should find another pastor instead. You are choosing God parents for YOUR child, not his. I should think the decision would be yours, and not his.