In AD 52 St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, came to Kerala and preached the gospel. Many people accepted Christian faith and thus Christianity took roots in India in the 1st century itself. Hence Kerala is often called the cradle of Christianity.

By the middle of 20th century, many people from Kerala travelled to various places of the Indian subcontinent, including Bombay, for education and employment. The Christians together in Mumbai started a worship group in 1927 and named it the Malabar Christian Association. In 1930 they started a congregational prayer and fellowship in St. Mary's Church, Parel. A meeting attended by 35 Marthomites at King George School in Dadar formed a Committee in early 1940s to take necessary steps for the formation of a Mar Thome Congregation. Official sanction to start the service was given by His Grace The Most Rev. Titus II Mar Thome Metropolitan. Thus on 17th November 1940, the 1st Holy Communion was celebrated according to Mar Thoma liturgy by Rev. P J. Thomas of Ankola Ashram, Up to 1943 the services were conducted by visiting priests. In 1943 Rev. P John Varghese of Christudasa Ashram, Palakadu was appointed full time resident Vicar and all Parish activities started thereafter.

The motto of the Mar Thoma Church Lighted to Lighten encourages the Marthomites to spread God's love by being glowing lights of salvation to others in their daily lives. A school for slum children in Santacruz, an English Medium School in Mulund & Chembur. St. Thomas English Medium School in Surat and Vapi and a school for special children in Kalyan were all started eventually. The Sarvajenik Mission Hospital was started in Vapi, a place which demanded better medical care and support to tackle the health problems due to industrialization and the poor economic condition of the people.

Seeing the plight of the children of commercial sex workers, the Mumbai Diocese initiated the Navjeevan Centre. Today the Navjeevan Centre, with its motto 'God's Love in Action' houses 160 children at Kapri Village in Tokowade of lvturbad, 90 kms from Kalyan and another 145 children in various extension homes across Mumbai. The Centre also provides three day and night care shelters at red light areas of Mumbai; an English medium primary and secondary school; a vocational training centre offering ten different technical trades; multiple extension homes to facilitate higher education; a women's unit focusing at empowerment, rehabilitation and reintegration. Senior children from the Centre are pursuing professional courses and trainings for gainful employment. The Centre gives these children a new ray of hope for a better future. On 2nd October. 2012 the blessing of the foundation stone of a new extension Home of the Navjeevan centre was done by The Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan.

The Rehabilitation Centre for Street Children/Rag pickers and a Smart Village (sustainable village) at Murbad will get underway in the near future. Counselling Centres at Vashi, Mulund and Thane are now available for the needy.

The Mar Thoma Murribai Diocese is driven by the message of divine love for one and all, as revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. This love always motivates the Mumbai Marthomites, under the leadership of Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Theethas Episcopa, to explore new avenues of service for humanity.