overtures had been made to the evangelical lutheran tennessee synod and the evangelical lutheran holston synod at various times, but those two synods had declined membership because they viewed the general synod as not strictly following the lutheran confessions. those concerns were eventually addressed, and in 1886 the tennessee and holston synods met in roanoke, virginia with the six synods of the general synod south to create the united synod of the evangelical lutheran church in the south.