The Lutheran Free Church was a Lutheran church that existed in the United States official from 1897 to 1963. However the church history predates it official start and still continues today.

Georg Sverdrup and Sven Oftedal were two professors at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the 1870s. They had been concern with hierarchy in the Christian church and study the Bible they determined that according to the New Testament the local congregation was the correct form of God's kingdom on earth. Their vision was for a church which promoted a "living" Christianity that emphasized an evangelism that would result in changed lives and church member to exercise their spiritual gifts. They called their group the "Friends of Augsburg".

In 1890 the United Norwegian Lutheran Church was formed, by 1896 Sverdrup and others felt their beliefs were being comprised broke away from the UNLC and formed the LFC in 1897.

By the 1950s, however there was a growing sense and desire by many Lutherans through out the United States to joined their many small Lutheran bodies into larger body. The LFC joined the American Lutheran Church in 1963 after 3 votes. The ALC in time also joined with other Lutheran churches and formed the ELCA in 1988.

About 40 Lutheran Free Churches however instead of joining the ALC instead formed the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations in October of 1962.

Presidents of the LFC

• 1897-1899 Elias P Harbo
• 1899-1901 Endre E Gynild
• 1901-1903 Elias P Harbo
• 1903-1905 Christopher K Ytrehus
• 1905-1907 Endre E Gynild
• 1907-1909 Elias P Harbo
• 1909-1910 Endre E Gynild
• 1910-1912 Paul Winter
• 1912-1914 Endre E Gynild
• 1914-1916 Johan Mattson
• 1916-1918 Endre E Gynild
• 1918-1920 Johan Mattson
• 1920-1923 Olai H Sletten
• 1923-1928 Endre E Gynild
• 1928-1930 Hans J Urdahl
• 1930-1958 Thorvald O. Burntvedt
• 1958-1963 John Stensvaag