In the early 1980s, The National Council of Catholic Evangelization emerged from a network of clergy affiliated with the formally ad-hoc NCCB (National Conference of Catholic Bishops) Committee on Evangelization to become a nationally recognized diocesan organization with over 2000 members. In its day the NCCE hosted upwards of 18 annual conferences, published a newsletter, and received grants from recognized philanthropies. But the NCCE was perhaps best known for implementing an influential program in 1992 known as "Go and Make Disciples." Due in good measure to these efforts, the message of "Go and Makes Disciples" grew out of a strategic document published by the General Secretary to become a centerpiece for what today is known as the USCCB Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis. Today the NCCE no longer exists but the legacy of the "Go and Make Disciples" campaign lives on.

Looking back, it is important to note that 1992 also saw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or what is commonly known as the "universal catechism," which reflected the ecumenical spirit of Pope Paul VI's Evangelii Nuntiandi. This is significant for it was Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation that provided the bedrock for the formation of the NCCE under Father Alvin Illig and the ad-hoc Bishop's Committee on Evangelization. Issued in 1975, Evangelii Nuntiandi came to symbolize the church's effort to reach out to growing ranks of evangelical Christians in the late 1970's by emphasizing inclusiveness through pastoral communication.

Another target audience for the Committee on Evangelization was lapsed Catholics. In 1983, with Pope John Paul II's subsequent call for a "new evangelization" eliciting support from the laity, NCCE was chartered as a professional group for diocesan directors. However the Committee on Evangelization would not become a standing committee within the NCCB until 1990 leaving the evangelization proponents with little in the way of staff or monetary support throughout the 1980's. The elevation also appeared to signal a change in fortunes for the NCCE to yield crucial resources as "Go and Make Disciples" ramped up. The following comes from the USCCB website:

"in March 1990, the Committee on Evangelization of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) presented plans to develop a national plan and strategy for evangelization to the NCCB Administrative Committee. After conducting a broad consultation with dioceses, state Catholic conferences, religious communities, and national organizations, the Committee on Evangelization submitted a final draft to the plenary assembly of the NCCB. Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States was approved on November 18, 1992, and was authorized for publication by the General Secretary."

According to a 2002 testimonial from Bishop William Houck, much of the NCCE's capacity for evangelical outreach was credited to Paulist initiative with considerable recognition going to the late Fr. Illig for his advocacy and to Father John Hurley for the success of "Go and Make Disciples." Further notes from the collection reveal that the dialog between the NCCE and the Paulists over the years stemmed from Fr. Illig's leadership of both the NCCB Committee on Evangelization (1977-1982) and the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. When the NCCE was formally organized in 1983, relations with the PNCEA continued to remain in place for years to come. Fr. Illig passed in 1991, just as NCCE was hitting its prime, but by then its membership was already thriving. According to the 1996 records, its ranks had increased from 125 charter members to over 2500. While considerable enthusiasm and dedication remained among members up to the millennium, by then financial hardships had returned and the organization was formally dissolved in 2002.