We subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord originally published in 1580, because they are a faithful and accurate summary of biblical doctrine. Contained here are statements of doctrine that have been adopted by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (known as the "little" Norwegian Synod), or the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (known as the "old" Norwegian Synod). The present-day ELS considers itself the heir of all these adopted statements and confessions, and continues to teach and confess them as true and biblical.

• Evangelical Lutheran Synod
  Statements and confessions adopted since our name was changed to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1955-).

• "Little" Norwegian Synod
  Statements and confessions adopted before our synod took the name Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1918-1955).

• "Old" Norwegian Synod
  Statements and confessions adopted in the era of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1853-1917).

• Luther's Small Catechism
  Part of the Book of Concord, Luther's Small Catechism is still used to catechize both children and adults in the Christian faith. It is provided here in various formats.

The Evangelical Lutheran Synod traces its history back to 1853 when the "Norwegian Synod" was organized in the Midwestern United States. They practiced "fellowship", a form of full communion, with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) during the 1850s and 1860s. In 1872, they along with the LCMS and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) formed the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America.

In 1917, the Norwegian Synod merged with two other Norwegian Lutheran groups and formed the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church. This led to disagreement among members of the Norwegian Synod. The people who became the ELS had concerns regarding fellowship with those who did not share the same doctrine. The Norwegian Synod had taught that conversion and salvation were entirely the work of God without any cooperation from humans. The new merged church allowed that conversion depended in some degree on humans accepting God's grace. A group of people therefore gathered at Lime Creek Lutheran Church near Lake Mills, Iowa, in June 1918 and reorganized as the Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (also known as "Little Norwegian" Synod) The name was later changed to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1957.

Around 1957, the ELS broke "fellowship" with Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America and the LCMS over doctrinal disagreements, though they retained fellowship with the WELS.

In 1993, the ELS and WELS working with a number of other worldwide Lutheran churches, some of which had been founded through mission work by both synods, founded the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC).