The present state of Bavaria began to be Christianized by Boniface, the missionary bishop, and others in the eighth century. Slowly the faith took root, and the church and its institutions became firmly implanted. In the Franconian area, Nuremberg became a commercial crossroads during the Middle Ages and a free imperial city.

The Lutheran Reformation became fully established in Nuremberg by 1524. In 1530, the city of Augsburg gave its name of the major Lutheran confession. Seventeenth-century theological orthodoxy, the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Pietism, and the Napoleonic era each left their various marks on Lutheranism.

The modern state of Bavaria was formed in 1806 when some 90 political units merged into the kingdom of Bavaria. The Roman Catholic king became nominal head of the Lutherans in Bavaria by the principle that the political ruler is also head of the Protestant church. The church constitution of 1818 laid the basis for a Protestant community under a governing consistory. In the process, a Lutheran confessional emphasis developed.

During the early 19th century, a renewed Lutheranism responded to an appeal on behalf of thousands of spiritually neglected German immigrants in North America. Wilhelm Löhe was an outstanding leader in sending missionaries to North America. During the 20th century, Bavarian Lutheran leaders have been instrumental in founding the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (of which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria is a member) and the Lutheran World Federation.

A stronghold of confessional Lutheranism in a predominantly Roman Catholic state, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELCB) comprises 1515 parishes with a total of more than 2.7 million members. About 23 percent of Bavaria's population is Lutheran, and about 60 percent of Bavaria's Lutherans reside in the northern part, Franconia, in rural villages as well in the Nuremburg and other urban areas. Bavarian Lutheranism has its own diaspora, or dispersion, including people in cities like Munich and Augsburg. This combination of being at once concentrated and deployed has given the ELCB its characteristic concern for confessional unity near and far.

Worship in Bavarian Lutheran churches has long valued the liturgy and hymns as integral to preaching the Word and administering the sacraments. In education, a strong accent remains on confirmation instruction, religious education in the public schools, and work among young people. The practice of a diaconal year of service by young women was introduced in the 1950s.