Editor's note: For research purposes, Dr. Thom Rainer classified unchurched people into five categories, U1 through U5. U1 is the most receptive group to the gospel, and U5 is the least receptive.

At first glance the discovery that U5s are more likely to be over 50 years old surprised us on the research team. The most resistant to the gospel were the oldest unchurched persons. But then we realized that the real story was that the younger unchurched are more likely to have an interest or belief in spiritual matters. Our research and the research of others have confirmed the growth of spiritual interest among young adults and youth in America.

The number of unchurched over 50 years old was twice as prevalent among the U5s as compared to all unchurched. And while we cannot claim from our limited data that there is a direct correlation between older age and resistance to the gospel, we did attempt to discover reasons behind this unusual scenario.

Doug L. is approaching retirement. He works for the U.S. Army as a civil servant. He currently resides in Virginia, but he looks forward to retirement years in Montana. Doug was a real case study for us because he is in his sixties, earns more than $100,000 per year, and has a Ph.D. degree.

Doug is a typical U5. He never goes to church, and he sees the church as irrelevant. He is probably an atheist, and he certainly does not believe in heaven or hell. Jesus, Doug tells us, was likely a historical figure, but "what you hear about him today is nothing but myth. There was a good man named Jesus who did good works and was probably martyred, but he wasn't resurrected." No Christian has ever been an influence in Doug's life. No Christian has ever shared the gospel with him. If someone invited him to church, it is "not likely at all" that he would attend.

Doug does represent an interesting pattern in our study. Most of the U5s over 50 years old went to church at least some as a child. Doug's experience was in the Congregational Church in Montana.

Researcher Warner Smith, upon interviewing Doug, found that Doug was resistant, even antagonistic, to the claims of Christianity but that he did not vent any frustration toward him as the interviewer. Notes Warner, "Doug was honest when he asserted three times during the interview that his lack of time and interest are his major obstacles to attending church. His short answers were not because he was rude or because he was uncomfortable. He seemed to believe sincerely that these things just do not apply to him."

— Excerpted from "The Unchurched Next Door," by Thom S. Rainer, Zondervan, 2003.