For the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the Church desires that the recipient of those Sacraments would have some model or guide to help them.  Sponsors should not only model the life of faith, but they are also to assist, encourage, and motivate the recipient to draw closer to God throughout life.  This requires that the Sponsors are not only praying for the recipient but also helping the recipient to pray.  Especially in the case of Baptism, the Sponsors may even be called upon to take the recipient to Mass, if the parents are unable or unwilling.  Thus, the role of the Sponsor is very important to help support the good spiritual development of the recipient.  

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The Church requires a "very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort" (CCC 2041) of every lay faithful, which describes the minimum of being Catholic; these are the 5 precepts.  Since they are the minimum of being Catholic, it is also the minimum of what we need to verify to be a Sponsor.  Additionally, Sponsors will have to undergo a training.  While we ought to probably require more, we want to encourage the use of Sponsors so that Baptized and Confirmed might have a good help as they each progress in the way of holiness (Lumen gentium, 39).