I have started using “pre-Christian” to describe people who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus.  I don’t think anyone else  is using it in the same way, yet.

Often people who have not yet met Jesus yet and realized the truth that He is Lord and Savior may be called unbelievers or non-Christians.  ”Pre-Christian” is a more positive term describing where they are at on their spiritual journey and implies where that journey is heading: toward Jesus.

A pre-Christian becomes a Christian when they’ve heard and seen the gospel, when they’ve recognized that God really exists and that He created us to be in relationship with Him and throughout our lives we’ve rejected Him through sin, but thankfully God sent Jesus Christ to die for those sins and to bring us to God.  When a pre-Christian realized that and believes that Jesus is Lord and indeed died for them and indeed rose from the dead, God enters them through the Holy Spirit and changes their life to help them love God and love other people.  And that is just one step in a lifelong journey with God.

And really, ultimately everyone is going to meet Jesus.  Either it is now or when the books are opened for judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).  Our ASSUMPTION for everyone we meet and everyone we love who does not know Jesus yet is that they will come to know Him!  We need radical trust that God is going to gift them with the desire to pursue Him through Jesus Christ.  God desires to draw people to Himself, let’s go ahead and trust Him for that!