The Lutheran Education Society of the Pacific Northwest was organized in 1919 at the level of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for the purpose of assisting Concordia College to recruit more students for the pastoral ministry. Fifty names were recorded as charter members. A Board of Directors administered the organization. After falling into dormancy for several years, the organization was revived, reorganized, and relaunched with a banquet on May 2, 1947. Its expanded purpose was “to promote higher education among the young people of the Lutheran Church.”

The interests of the LES extended not only to direct recruitment but also to fundraising for needed items that were not included in the College’s regular budget (such as equipment and scholarships). To raise funds, the LES sought memberships and held not only annual dinner meetings in Portland but also banquets in various regions of the District. A newsletter, Lutheran Education Society Bulletin, that began in 1947, kept the membership informed about the activities of the LES, the latest news from Concordia, and the need to recruit students.

On March 2, 1963, the first annual LES workshop was convened with a focus on recruitment. On February 28, 1974, the LES presented the first of ten annual citizenship awards given to community leaders in order to raise Concordia’s profile. The October 28, 1975, annual meeting minutes noted the changing role of the LES, especially since Concordia itself was now actively involved in recruitment. By 1984 the traditional LES Banquet was replaced with the Lutheran Education Banquet. The Society went out of existence shortly thereafter.