The Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (or North Church) was formed in 1894 when seminary president Kristian Anker and professor Peter Sørensen Vig, along with a number of pastor and congregations, left the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America over theological differences.
The United Church quickly formed a system of education, centered in Blair, Nebraska.
In 1946, as the second and third generation of Danes in America started to merge into the American culture, the word "Danish" was dropped from the official name of the church.
There was a strong emphasis on personal holiness in the United Church, and not much talk about the sacraments.
While other Danish Lutherans in America tended to prefer pastors and leaders trained in Copenhagen, the United Church more quickly moved toward pastors trained in America in order to avoid the influence of Grundtvigian theology.