Its congregations are mostly located in the Upper Midwest, and the church body maintains its official headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It has a congregationalist governance structure with no bishops or district presidents, and the national leadership has "the authority only to advise and recommend" to its member congregations.
[3] This handful of pastors submitted resolutions to the AALC's June 1994 convention that would remove references to the church’s three-strand orientation (orthodox, charismatic, and evangelical), and that would remove from consideration a candidate for a seminary professorship that the pastors found objectionable.
After their resolutions failed, three AALC congregations left that body and formed the LMS-USA at an April 1995 conference in Indianapolis.
The LMS-USA also works with graduates of other seminaries, prospective pastors who wish to attend an accredited institution, or second- or third-career individuals considering the ministry in order to map out any additional training which may be required in doctrine or ministerial practice.