If God's freely given promise of grace is the foundation of faith, as Calvin suggests, then it is that grace which must be the final criterion by which Presbyterians assess their efforts in evangelism. The church should practice evangelism corporately. Presbyterians believe it is God's grace which they celebrate in worship and which calls them into new life in Jesus Christ. Consequently, Presbyterians reject any form of evangelism that encourages the private practice of Christian faith. Christian faith is personal, but not private.
Christian faith is personal, but it is also intrinsically communal.
It is a faith that demands to be lived and celebrated in the context of the body and community of Jesus Christ. The life of the congregation, therefore, is the appropriate context for the life of faith. Furthermore, it is the life of the congregation which the 0hurch should hold up to the world as an imperfect witness to the kingdom of God, and it is the corporate life of the people of God which the church invites the world to join. While worship may indeed be the most important thing Presbyterians do as a community, it is by no means the only thing, and it is the whole life of the people of God which should be presented to the world as an imperfect but tangible expression of God's grace. The church should practice evangelism justly.