Finally, the National Lutheran Council was organized on September 6, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois.
A formal constitution and bylaws were adopted in 1946 that, as a doctrinal basis, accepted the Bible as the Word of God and the only source, norm, and guide of Christian faith and life, and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and Martin Luther's Catechism as the true exposition and presentation of the doctrine of the Bible.
These mergers resulted in the NLC having only two members, and at the end of 1966 it was superseded by the Lutheran Council in the United States of America.
[2] When founded in 1918, the purposes of the NLC were to coordinate activities and agencies of the member bodies, provide statistical information, engage in publicity and public relations, and provide overseas relief to Lutherans affected by World War I.
The 1945 constitution and later amendments added such functions as making its member bodies aware of conditions to which they should speak or take action, representing the member bodies to federal and state governments and to other organizations, and to serve as the U.S. National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, a body (originally named Lutheran World Convention) that it had been instrumental in creating in 1923.