Does the Presbytarian Church exist outside of Scotland?

Question

My girlfriend is Scottish with a family history that is intertwined with the Prsebytarian church- where in SW England, if anywhere, can I get a taste of this particular Christian denomination?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, SW England I do not know. But I live in America and in an area that is considered not too high a percentage of Christians of any denom. and even with that, there are a few Presbyterian churches within a 50 mile radius of where I live. And I do not live in a big city.

Michael

Answer 2

You got the yankee wankie answers first - it's a shame.

1. The denomination that you need to look for is the United Reformed Church (URC). In 1972 the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales joined together to form the URC. In 2000 the Congregational Union of Scotland joined in the union, but the Scots Presbyterians remain separate. [NB1 the URC is not connected to the United Reformed Churches in North America. NB2 wikipedia also has details of the development (unions and divisions) in Scottish Presbyterianism].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Reformed_Church

2. Because the union was relatively recent (in contrast to the age of most churches) there is often some indication on the exterior of an English church building as to whether it was Presbyterian or Congregational. The URC church, where I live, says "Congregrational Church" above the main entrance. You can just about read the wording in the photo on the following webpage. The second link gives a short history, and mentions the 1972 union.
http://ship-of-fools.com/Mystery/2004/862.html
http://www.thornburyurc.org/index.html

3. You will see from the links at the foot of the wikipedia webpage that some English Congregationalists stayed out of the union. This did not happen with the English Presbyterians. However a fairly recent (1996) development has been the creation of a tiny Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW). It is possible that the EPCEW adheres to the original ideas of English Presbyterianism (but I am not able to make any informed comment). Nevertheless, it is not the direct (organisational) inheritor of the English church which is the sister church to that of your girlfriend's family.
http://www.epcew.org.uk/

Answer 3

The Presbytarian church is now throughout the world. Go to there website and you can search for churches through it.

Answer 4

It certainly exists in Brasil, where it was introduced by Scottish missionaries in the 19th Century.