Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1738, and is the oldest Lutheran congregation in Maryland. After worshiping in two log churches, the parish built a stone church in the city of Frederick in 1760. In 1771, two bells were brought from England and have called Christians to worship until the present. The Sunday Church School of the congregation began in 1812 and is one of the oldest in the United States. The present sanctuary was built in 1854 and shortly thereafter was used as a hospital after the battle of Antietam in September 1862.

Over the past century, our church has expanded to become an active congregation with a full campus of ministry facilities in downtown Frederick.  We share these facilities with our Wee Folk School which serves the many preschool children in our neighborhood as well as community groups who share office and gathering space.  In 2002, ELC expanded to include a second worshiping location in Southern Frederick County. We currently worship at Urbana Elementary School and are in the process of constructing a second campus on Fingerboard Road.

As our congregation continues to build on our rich tradition, we remain committed to proclaim the same message of grace that our predecessors did 270 years ago.