It began in Canton, Ohio, but soon moved to Columbus, the state capital, and located in the suburban neighborhood of Bexley.

During these decades, the seminary was run as the theological department of the nearby Capital University, which had been chartered by the Joint Synod in 1850.

With the growing closeness and theological friendships during the mid-20th century between major American Lutheran traditions, the decision was made in 1974 to consolidate ELTS and nearby Hamma Divinity School.

For the decade from 1978 until the merger creating the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988, Trinity was owned and operated jointly by the ALC and the LCA.

Trinity Lutheran Seminary is accredited and its degree programs are approved by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.