Evangelism

[Wissing]

What do Catholics believe about evangelism?

In the protestant churches, it often seems as if evangelism is the ultimate goal of life. I often feel an undercurrent following this ideology: that practical service is to be used as a means to spread the Gospel. All things, really, are seen as a means to the end of converting people. I've heard it said "life is like a bridge. Man is on one side, and God is on the other. The goal is to get as many people across the bridge as possible".

I think it's a self-consistent ideology, which has a Biblical foundation. However, validity doesn't imply soundness: I'm having trouble reconciling my real life experience with this view of evangelism. Plus, I think there is room in the Bible (especially the Sermon on the Mount) to make an equally valid argument that the "goal" is for mankind to become ethical. The Old Testament would back this up. It seems that, since the beginning, God's plan has been to take a struggling, unrighteous people, and make them right. Then Christ brings a message of evangelism - but I see his message like this: evangelism itself is a means to restoring a relationship with God, the end goal being to become righteous. Really righteous - not just on paper. He even states that the greatest commandment is to love God, then to love your neighbor as yourself. So evangelism is not the end, but the means.

Is this what Catholics believe?