The Church was founded in 1868 by Hans Peter Boerresen, a Dane, and Lars Olsen Skrefsrud, a Norwegian.
[2] NELC missionary Paul Olaf Bodding invented the Santali latin alphabet that is still used by people in the region today.
[3] The NELC took its present name in 1958 and its headquarters are situated in Dumka, a growing educational center northeast of Kolkata.
[4] The NELC is one of ten members of the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India.
[5] Lars Olsen Skrefsrud and Hans Peter Børresen, succeeded by Paul Olaf Bodding.