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The issue of evangelization in the Reformed church is a very important one. Historically, Reformed churches have been dedicated to evangelism. The biggest movements in evangelism in the United States have grown out of Reformed churches. For example, George Whitefield, Billy Graham, Campus Crusade for Christ, and Evangelism Explosion arose from men with a background in Reformed or Presbyterian churches.
Sometimes critics say that because we believe in predestination, Reformed Christians have no real motivation to evangelize. But nothing could be further from the truth. We believe that God has elected some people to salvation, and that he has called us to bring them to faith through the preaching of the gospel. That means that we are guaranteed to be successful in evangelism-the elect will certainly come to faith.
We also believe that regeneration precedes faith. That is, the Holy Spirit must do a miraculous work to renew a person's spirit before that person can respond positively to the gospel and receive Christ as savior (John 3:5, 8). That takes the pressure off us as evangelists. We never have to worry that if only we had studied harder or argued better, the person might have come to faith. On the contrary, our call is fairly simple. We present the truth of the gospel, and if God is pleased to do so, he regenerates the person and draws the person to himself. Yes, we should be prepared to give an answer for the hope within, but the salvation of others does not depend on our clever arguments; it depends on our faithful presentation of the facts of the gospel, and on God's miraculous work in bringing people to faith.
When it comes to evangelistic methods, we believe that there are a variety of valid approaches. Basically, any method that tells the truth about Jesus and man's plight, and that freely offers the gospel to all who repent, is a biblical method and may be used. In fact, many times we have to invent new methods to reach new kinds of people.
In the past, Reformed evangelists have often stressed ways of applying the gospel to specific people in their specific circumstances. If a person feels guilty, we emphasize the fact that man is a sinner and that God will judge us, and we emphasize the forgiveness that comes in Jesus Christ. If a person feels lonely, we emphasize the fact that our sin prevents us from having fellowship with God and with others, and the fact that restoration of that fellowship is available through Jesus if we repent and follow him. If a person feels hopeless, we can agree that life in this sinful, fallen world offers no real significance or hope for human existence, but we can also speak of the restoration of the creation that God is accomplishing through Jesus, and of the hope of resurrection and fulfillment that all believers share.
Whatever the situation, we seek to bring the good news that applies directly to each sinner. Finding that point of contact helps us to speak meaningfully to people. And because every aspect of the gospel is related to every other aspect of the gospel, each point of contact can be expanded to reach all the other details of the gospel. So, if we have a "big picture" of the gospel, we have many ways available to present the gospel to others.
[Based on an Answer given by Ra McLaughlin at Third Millenium]
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