It all began with the divine plan that the Marings would have their churches united under the umbrella of the Maring Naga Baptist Association (MNBA). In order to let His plan and decree come to pass, He kindled the fire of passion of sowing the seed of the Gospel to the strangers of it in the fertile Maring areas. He touched the heart of one Tangkhul evangelist named K. Ontim (Gopal) of Nambashi village. God called him out of his village and family and then sent him to the serene and picturesque (yet strange to the living God) hill village to share the Gospel for the first time ever in Maring areas. He passionately sowed the seed of the Gospel at Saibol village and urged the villagers to follow Jesus Christ. However, he faced stiff resistance from the villagers who passed several resolutions not to listen to his words. After a few months, two persons from Nambashi village, namely H. Prohong and K. Darring, visited Saibol and shared the Gospel message like this, “Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners like us, rose again from the grave on the third day, and went to heaven to be with God the Father. And when He lived on earth, he visited the poor and needy, healed the sick, the lame, and the blind, and cast out demons. He is the only one who could raise the dead and the only one who could save us from our sins. Those who repent and come to Him will receive forgiveness of sins. Therefore, let us follow Him.” Till this time, none came out to follow Jesus Christ.

However, in May, 1943, being determined to let the divine task come to fruition, H. Prohong and K. Darring returned to the same mission field along with H. Puimila, N. Thamshangthounu and MC. Shilvilla. This time they could see their evangelistic efforts bearing fruits as the Gospel message pricked and pierced the stony hearts of M. Pekhong, and his two cousin brothers, M. Sonthak and M. Tangson, whereby the Holy Spirit convicted them and thereby they confessed their faith in Christ and decided to follow Him after hearing the Gospel for the third time. In this way, they accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and became the first followers of Christ (or Christians) from Saibol village.

The above mentioned Tangkhul evangelists were complemented by Ngahuiching from Hangkow village and Sonlu from Nambashi village in 1944, followed by H. Saphei Hungyo of Nambashi village in 1945. On December 15, 1945 M. Pekhong, and his two cousin brothers, namely M. Sonthak and M. Tangson, were baptized at Sabulwa River by Limjalet Chongthu, a Kuki evangelist, from Khoikai village of Ukhrul district, Manipur.

Contemporaneously, on the western side of the Maring land, Kh. Angpham of Phunal Sambum village, who was believed to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour in 1935 while he was at Aimol Tampak Church, was baptized on August 9, 1945 by R. Thoma, a Moyon evangelist, who worked across the Maring areas especially in western areas in 1945. About the same time, another young man by the name of K. Kothel from Khoibu village, who had been travelling across the Tangkhul villages in search of living opportunities since 1943, encountered the Gospel and then found faith in Christ in 1945. He was baptized by Ngalangzar Raleng, a Tangkhul evangelist from Nambashi village, on July 18, 1946.

The thunderclapping works of the evangelists, namely K. Ontim, H. Prohong, K. Daring, H. Puimila, N. Thamshangthounu, MC. Shilvilla, Limjalet Kuki, and R. Thoma Moyon paved the way for others to sow more seeds of the Gospel in the fertile Maring land. The work of the Gospel has a ripple effect as evidenced by the unfolding of events in the Maring areas. On March 14, 1947, evangelist Inchishung of Bungpa Khunou village shared the Gospel at Khulimol village and baptized nine new believers (M. Koshangam, M. Piton, Th. Thamshangpha, Marem Moshel, Marem Hormi, Marem Paison, Huimila, M. Shangkhutim Chongthingla, M. Koshangrei), and five from Saibol village (M. Angte, Th. Shanglem, M. Tangson, Shangkhubi, Tengchoinu). In 1948, two young women, D. Leiying and Ch. Te-on, from Kambang village, accepted Christ and were baptized by Yamyatong from Sita Kuki village. On February 7, 1949, Evangelist Ampramon baptized seven new believers from Narum village (M. Peter, M. Thoukhal, Mk. Morungkim, Mrs. Shangkhubi, Mrs. Narchetnu, Mk. Shonphun, M. Koton). Besides the Tangkhul and other evangelists, the newly converted Maring Christians started sharing their new-found faith in Christ to the Marings, thereby planting of new churches began by 1950 onwards.

K. Angshon of Khoibu village led the establishment of Yamolching Baptist Church in 1950. R. Momo organized and then led the establishment of Biyang Baptist Church in 1954. In 1958, K. Minthing, a Tangkhul evangelist, who worked in the Imphal Valley amongst the Meiteis, came to Marimchi and shared the Gospel to the people there. In the following year, the Gospel seed sown by him germinated in the hearts of the Machi villagers, thereby on December 15, 1959, Ch. Mekham and K. Angrung accepted Christ and were baptized by him.

The Gospel seeds sown by the missionaries/evangelists, especially from Ukhrul district of Manipur, slowly but gradually began to germinate in the hearts of the Maring people. Thus by 1960, there were already eight churches in Maring land, namely Saibol Baptist Church, Phunal Sambum Baptist Church, Khoibu Baptist Church, Khulimol Baptist Church, Kampang Baptist Church, Yamolching Baptist Church, Biyang Baptist Church and Machi Baptist Church . Phunal Sambum Baptist Church was affiliated under South East Manipur Baptist Association (SEMBA) and the other seven churches were affiliated under Ayapural Area, Leimatong Circle of North East Baptist Association, Manipur (NEBAM).

Then the Tangkhul Naga Baptist Convention (TNBC) at its executive meeting of September 4-6, 1959 at Lunghar resolved to send a preaching team comprising of 65 members from Lungphu, Tangkhul Hundung, and Shingkap churches to the Maring villages. The team was led by Phanitphang Vashum, the then Executive Secretary, TNBA; K. Ringshi, Field Director, ETNBA and STNBA; and K.Minthing, Plain Missionary, TNBC, and visited six Maring villages, viz Khoibu, Marimchi (Machi), Khudei Khullen, Khunbi, Langol, and Karongthel (Khulsaibung). It was a major landmark in the ecclesiastical accounts of both the Tangkhul churches and the Maring churches. At the MBC Meeting as well as the TNBC Executive Meeting at Talui (Tolloi) on January 27-31, 1960, the TNBC adopted the Maring tribe as the TNBC Mission Project and K. Ringshi was appointed as the Field Director. The newly appointed Field Director, K. Ringshi, landed his feet at Marimchi (Machi) on February 6, 1960. Under his initiative, the very place became the MNBA Mission Centre/MNBA Christian Centre.

The Tangkhul missionaries/evangelists not only spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Marings, but also brought western education which they had received from Revd. William Pettigrew, the father of modern missions. Thus the Marings were enlightened spiritually as well as intellectually. These changes stirred up the hearts and minds of the needy Maring people. Thus the pastors and other prominent leaders of the Maring tribe concurred on the idea that the Maring churches which were under NEBAM and SEMBA needed to be united together and form a new association. These churches continued to be affiliated under NEBAM and SEMBA till 1959. The church pioneers and leaders hit upon an idea of establishing a new association under the banner of the Maring Naga Baptist Association. The pastors and the executive committee at that time conveyed the idea/plan to the TNBC, whereby the latter forwarded the matter to the MBC Executive Council in 1963. On the recommendation of the TNBC, the MBC at its Executive Council Meeting held on March 21-22, 1963 approved the formation of the Maring Naga Baptist Association (MNBA). Thus the MNBA became a full-fledged association under the Manipur Baptist Convention (MBC) in 1963, and was subsequently recognized by the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI) in 1964. There were already twenty-four churches and more than eight hundred baptized members at that time.

With the help of the Tangkhul churches in various ways, the Maring churches continued to grow numerically. After having given their all-out missional efforts to the Marings, the Tangkhuls under the then Tangkhul Baptist Long (TBL) bade farewell to their beloved Marings of MNBA on February 28, 1988. By the time of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Maring Naga Baptist Association on February 16-18, 1996 at the erstwhile MNBA Christian Centre, Machi, there were fifty-three full-fledged local churches and four fellowships. And by the time of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Christianity at the erstwhile MNBA Christian Centre, Machi, on March 30, 2021, there were fifty-seven (57) full-fledged local churches, eight (8) fellowships and three (3) project churches with six thousand five hundred and ninety-eight (6,598) baptized members.

As of now, the Maring Naga Baptist Association (MNBA) consists of fifty-eight (58) full-fledged churches, seven (7) fellowships, and three (3) project churches with six thousand six hundred and forty-eight (6,648) baptized members.