Not everyone notices the bronze plaque at St James', Mt Druitt, but it sits on an interior wall as an ongoing testament to the transformative effects of a parish partnership.

Erected at the dedication of the church in 1968, the plaque notes that "A gift from St James' parish, Turramurra, inspired others to share the project". The "gift" mentioned was $30,000, and this paid for 70 per cent of the church's construction costs – sacrificial support for which the parish of Turramurra went into debt for, you guessed it, $30,000.

A story in The Australian Church Record from July 1968 adds that Mt Druitt's chairs were provided by St Clement's, Mosman, while the parishes of Eastwood and Epping joined forces to pay the first minister's stipend.

This is parish partnership. It is looking to the needs of the other, asking how to support ministry in an area of the Diocese where help is not only welcome, but needed. So, it's no surprise that Mt Druitt chose St James as its saint.

And while the support may have waxed and waned over the years, the two parishes re-established a link in 2009, and it's been going strong ever since.

"We've tried to grow it and have an interdependent gospel partnership, where Turramurra needs Mt Druitt as much as Mt Druitt needs Turramurra," says Mt Druitt's rector, the Rev Craig Hooper.

"It's a developing thing. When I arrived here 5½ years ago we had an op shop, and Turramurra folk would come over a few times a year with a whole lot of goods for the shop... and the folk here would put on morning tea to show their appreciation. It was a chance to build relationships between the two churches, which is an important part of the partnership continuing.

"One year I go with members of Mt Druitt, we visit Turramurra on a Sunday and then the following year, folk from Turramurra will come here and [their rector] David Smith will preach. "When we go over there, I preach at all their services across the day, they provide lunch, and people share – like our children's and women's worker Elizabeth, as the church gives to help pay for her. Other individuals give as well.

"As the relationship builds, Turramurra can see by God's grace how the Lord is doing his best work as people here are saved and transformed, in an area which, in a worldly sense, is considered foolish and weak – as in 1 Corinthians where God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

"And we also see the impossible – God saving rich people! Also, the fact that as relationships are built, we can share these stories of God's grace in both places."

Mt Druitt has five partner churches, not all within Sydney. Two of them, Turramurra and West Pennant Hills, involve financial support, but all include prayer and sharing in the ups and downs of each other's ministry.

Louise Hungerford, a member of Turramurra, has long-term links with the ministry at Mt Druitt, and even spoke at its supporters' afternoon tea last year about the blessings she has felt in sharing in the partnership over the years.

"It's a real joy, they're just saints up there," she says. "All the people are really amazing... I think we thought we were blessing them, but they were blessing us by their beautiful Christian love."

Mrs Hungerford goes to Mt Druitt at least once a term and has seen God provide in many ways. A Turramurra parishioner offered an old car with low mileage, which came just at the right time for a Mt Druitt family whose car had died. A couple with a little organ at home were looking to give it away just as Mrs Hungerford had received a call from Mt Druitt asking about an organ.

"It happens continually – they ring me up about something and somehow it's available," she says. "I think God has just used me to be a means to an end of getting stuff up there – and just being able to pray for one another and support one another.

"I think every church should be connected to a church either in the country or out in the western suburbs because people where I live have no idea. They're such beautiful people at Mt Druitt."

When ministry is important, but not sustainable

St Mark's, Darling Point is connected by prayer and care to two churches: Darlinghurst and Living Water Indigenous church in Redfern. For Darlinghurst, the parish provides financial support to Rough Edges and the Banksia Women ministry, while at Living Water it supports the work of the church's pastor and evangelist Fili Lolohea – who used to be the youth worker at St Mark's.

The women's Bible study at Darling Point regularly provides Woolworths' vouchers to be given out to Living Water members in need. Mr Lolohea preaches each year at Darling Point, and the parish also hosts fundraisers for the Indigenous church.

Darling Point rector, the Rev Dr Michael Jensen, describes these partnerships as "hugely valuable" for his church.

"It's more blessed to give than receive – yes, it's a cliché, but the blessing is for us in that we spiritually grow by not just being concerned for ourselves, but by being reminded that all we have comes from God," he says. "Everything we have is a blessing and so we are free to give to those who don't have. It's a practice that deepens our connection to God and our dependence on him."

Mr Lolohea is very thankful for Darling Point's long association with Living Water.

"Our church can't actually survive without people like St Mark's," he says, adding bluntly that it's not possible for the ministry to be self-sustaining. "It's got to be a different sort of approach, and I'm so thankful to ENC [Evangelism and New Churches], that they would be flexible enough to have churches like this exist.

"We're not just meeting the spiritual needs but, as best we can, physically as well. I don't think we'd be doing our job as Christians if we didn't do that in our particular context... it's an extension of our care, so to have the support [from St Mark's] is just huge."

Greenacre is another parish that is not self-sustaining. It's in Sydney's Muslim heartland, which rector the Rev Grant de Villiers says is even more reason to have a local evangelical church.

"Reaching out to our Muslim-background neighbours has been a slow work and, in many ways, the ministry is still underdeveloped," he says. "But our desire is to be here for the long term... shining our light in the community. That doesn't necessarily mean we will be huge, but we're connected, and we're here!

"Partnerships strengthen us and allow us to do a bit more [ministry] but they also allow us to financially be a bit more stable. For a small church we have quite a transient congregation... and each year we need to navigate that."

One of its supporting parishes is Panania, where Mr de Villiers grew up. It provides finances, prayer, and people. Volunteers from Panania cook and serve at Greenacre's Christmas community lunch, and prepare Christmas hampers tailored to people in Greenacre's community; members from both churches look after kids at each other's annual Big Day In retreat; and, lastly, some people have also moved churches.

The latter came about because a dozen ministry-minded people at Greenacre were due to leave at once – from student ministers and their families to a couple heading off with Bush Church Aid. For a parish with about 50 regular members, this was potentially devastating.

At one of his catch-ups with Panania rector the Rev Jon Guyer, Mr de Villiers talked about the problem and asked whether Panania might consider sending a few parishioners to Greenacre. This was put to members, half a dozen people explored the idea, and one couple made the move at the beginning of this year.

Says Mr de Villiers: "They have been like gold – people with maturity and conviction, stepping into a church with a willingness to serve where needed, to strengthen our congregation in a period of transition. I thank the Lord for them. It's made such a big difference."

For Mr Guyer, it's valuable for every parish to partner with a church near enough for regular interactions and two-way support.

"Churches are not just blessed by financial and prayer partnership but people partnership," he says. "Parishes that can find a relevant connection with another ministry would certainly be blessed to be encouraged by what is going on in another community, and by their people seeing how others are doing ministry and learning from them."

Think local

Berala's rector the Rev Mike Doyle describes the ongoing commitment of other churches as "fantastic". Carlingford helped the parish for several years before Mr Doyle arrived and, in 2022 – when congregational growth had the place crying out for another staff worker – he put out the call. Would churches consider a financial partnership?

Manly, Church Hill, St Ives and Toongabbie said "Yes", with the first two agreeing to support for a longer period. This meant Mr Doyle could confidently employ an assistant minister with a focus on cross-cultural mission.

"We're not quite able to pay her fully out of church giving but we are getting closer each year, which is fantastic," he says. "We can only do it with the partnerships of these guys, which we are so thankful for... It has enabled ministry in an incredible way."

Manly also supports a church plant at Box Hill, coming on board before it launched to help with the costs of setting up a church in a rapidly growing suburb.

"My energy has not been to plant another church on the northern beaches but to look to the other side of the Diocese where there is such need," says Manly rector, the Rev Bruce Clarke.

"There are so many people and so small a gospel presence. That's what the parish has really got behind."

In Carlingford, there are regular clothing drives to help fill the shelves at the op shop linked with Berkeley Life Centre. Nearby parishes can offer more hands-on support but, at 2½ hours away, Carlingford needed to do something different.

"People are always getting rid of clothes, so it's fairly easy for them to donate," says Angus Davis, who manages Carlingford's relationship with Berkeley.

"There is need across the world but there is also need on our doorstep, so finding a good way to partner is helpful – and there's also there's more breadth of involvement for people if it's a bit more local. Not everyone's going to be able to go to the Philippines with Compassion, which is another partnership we have, but everyone can bring clothes that go down to Berkeley, or go down to Berkeley themselves to see what it's like, so it's much more doable in terms of involvement."

Two-way support

Craig Hooper observes that, generally, partnerships are thought of as a one-way street: a wealthy church gives money to a poor church, not in a patronising way but "certainly the idea is that we are helping you".

"Money is part of a partnership but it's more than that," he says. "We have partnerships where money isn't involved, but there are conversations, prayer, ideas... we want to build real relationships.

"The partnerships are very valuable to the members at Mt Druitt. They can have a sense of contributing to the wider work of the gospel – they're not just receivers, they're givers as well. When we had a Moore College mission here, for example, it meant folk from college could learn what ministry is like... in poorer areas. And partnership is also a way for wealthier churches to grow in generosity.

"My prayer is that there'd come a day where a church will ring us, or any other church in a similar area, and say, 'We need you – how can we help as you help us?, rather than it being the other way around and the poorer church is always calling out to the wealthier churches for money. I'd like to see that sense of mutual encouragement grow between all parishes, fostering partnerships between churches in different demographic areas across the Diocese to help gospel growth in both areas."

Relationships and discipling at Park Rail

In a low socioeconomic area like Albion Park Rail, ministry is a little different. The aim isn't for big numerical success and numerous Bible studies, but a smaller, tight-knit congregation and one-to-one Bible reading.

"We're at roughly 50 people, and then we've got another 20 on the edges of church – so it's not massive, but people are growing and it's lovely to see such a high level of involvement," says Neil Scott, the fellowship leader at ENC church plant, Park Rail Anglican. "You don't have the 15 per cent [involvement] idea going on at this church. It's more like the 80 per cent, so that makes a big difference!"

Reading the Bible one-to-one rather than having group studies is important in their context, he says, because "people's lives are so dysfunctional that you really don't have the opportunity to delve into the deeper issues they have if you're in a group. They are coming from abuse and addiction and such family dysfunction, so you need someone to closely disciple and minister the word of God into those wounds".

In the past six months, the 12-year-old church has begun two partnerships with the parishes of Ryde and Strathfield, which are supporting Park Rail's Indigenous ministry. Strathfield is financing a ministry resource to help disciple Indigenous men in prison, while Ryde supports the church's part-time Indigenous ministry worker, Louise Davis.

"Louise is an incredible woman," Mr Scott says. "She goes into the Aboriginal mission and housing commission area, meeting people and building relationships with them. She's a very bold evangelist, super-bold. The conversation only has to be going for 30 seconds and she's already talking about Jesus!"

Rector of Ryde, the Rev Andrew Levy, describes Mr Scott as "a terrific minister of the gospel – salt of the earth, doesn't use fancy words and he is just incredibly humble. Not many people would be able to be the minister at Albion Park Rail; he's a guy in the right place under God's sovereignty".

Mr Levy adds that all parishes need to be looking out for and supporting each other – whether that be the one-off need of another church in their area, or long-term help further afield.

"We're an Anglican diocese, we're in it together," he says. "We are all stewards for a short time looking after the places where we are, and as part of one diocese we should work together to reach the whole of Sydney for Jesus.

"God works and partners with churches in other places... We benefit from their persistent, joyful ministry and, God willing, when things are small and look hard where they are, they receive the encouragement that there is an army of people standing all around them saying, 'We are praying for you. We're on your side.'"