Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church

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The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, commonly called the Norwegian Synod, was founded in February 1853 in Iowa. It included churches in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Through a series of mergers, it became part of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (later called Evangelical Lutheran Church)) in 1917, the American Lutheran Church in 1960, and currently the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

After the merger of 1917, a small group broke away from the NLCA due to doctrinal differences and reorganized as the Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (sometimes referred to as the "Little Norwegian" Synod). In 1957 it changed its name to become the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.