National Lutheran Council. Service Commission.

The National Lutheran Council was established on September 6, 1918 as a common agency of participating Lutheran church bodies to administer domestic programs, publicize Lutheran activities and beliefs, and provide overseas emergency relief to areas devastated by World War I. By the 1940s, the NLC expanded and reorganized its program through the creation of divisions, departments, commissions, and bureaus. The Service Commission, initially referred to as the NLC's Service Men's Division, was established in 1941 as a means to spiritually minister to servicemen and women in World War II.

It was administered by a Service Commission Committee and was headed by N.M. Ylvisaker. The Commission was phased out in 1948 and replaced by a permanent Bureau of Service to Military Personnel. In 1964, the Bureau received division status.