At first they visited the king of Bastar state in Jagdalpur to seek approval for constructing a church and preaching Christianity in the region but were denied permission for the purpose.

However, they later went to the neighbouring Jeypore state which was ruled by Maharaja Vikram Dev III and he granted them the permission and a plot where accordingly, the JEL Church was constructed in 1909.

Apparently, it was from Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church that Christianity spread to other parts of southern Odisha such as Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, and Rayagada.

Subsequently, the community members set up three major Christian hospitals in Bissam Cuttack, Nabarangpur, and Lamtaput in Koraput district to serve people from all religious backgrounds.

The current office holders are bishop of JELC Bidhan Kumar Nayak, synod chairman Anant Nag, secretary Praful Bhatra, and treasurer Jasbir Paul.