The date after the name of the church body represents the date of its founding or formation out of the bodies listed below it, if any.

LCMS (Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) 1847

Founded as "The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States."

WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) 1850

ELS (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) 1918

Founded as "The Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church" and also known as "Little Norwegian" Synod, it was formed by churches that broke with the Norwegian Synod when it merged with other groups to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1917 (see below).

ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) 1988

• ALC (American Lutheran Church) 1960 (LFC joined in 1963)
  • UELC (United Evangelical Lutheran Church) 1896

    Founded as "The United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church."

  • LFC (Lutheran Free Church) 1897

    Founded by followers of Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771—1824), a Norwegian lay preacher

  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church 1917

    Formed as "The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America" when the following groups joined together:

    • Norwegian Synod 1853
    • Hauge Synod 1876
    • United Norwegian Lutheran Church 1890
      • Norwegian-Danish Conference 1870
      • Norwegian Augustana Synod 1870
      • Anti-Missourian Brotherhood 1887
  • The American Lutheran Conference 1930
    • Ohio Synod 1818
    • Buffalo Synod 1845
    • Iowa Synod 1854
      • Texas Synod 1851
• LCA (Lutheran Church in America) 1962
  • Augustana Synod 1860

    Founded as "The Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America."

  • Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America 1890
  • ULCA (The United Lutheran Church in America) 1918
    • General Synod 1820
      • Pennsylvania Ministerium 1748

        First North American Lutheran church body.

    • United Synod of the South 1863
    • General Council 1867
  • The American Evangelical Lutheran Church 1872
• AELC (Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches) 1976

  Grew out of ELIM (Evangelical Lutherans in Mission), an association of about 250 dissident congregations formed in 1973 within the LCMS.