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Glock-Stark Religiosity Dimensions×Faith Maturity Scale×
FieldReligious StudiesReligious Studies
FamilyLatent structureLatent structure
Year of origin19651993
OriginatorCharles Y. Glock & Rodney StarkPeter L. Benson, Michael J. Donahue & Joseph A. Erickson
TypeMultidimensional latent measure of religious commitmentTwo-dimensional latent measure of mature faith
Seminal sourceGlock, C. Y., & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago: Rand McNally. link ↗Benson, P. L., Donahue, M. J., & Erickson, J. A. (1993). The Faith Maturity Scale: Conceptualization, measurement, and empirical validation. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 5, 1-26. link ↗
AliasesFive Dimensions of Religiosity, Glock and Stark Religious Commitment Dimensions, Multidimensional Religious Commitment, Belief-Practice-Experience-Knowledge-Consequences ModelFMS, Faith Maturity Index, Vertical-Horizontal Faith Scale, Mature Faith Measure
Related33
SummaryThe Glock-Stark framework, set out in Charles Glock and Rodney Stark's 1965 Religion and Society in Tension, recast religiosity from a single global trait into five analytically distinct dimensions of religious commitment: belief (ideological), practice (ritualistic), experience (experiential), knowledge (intellectual), and consequences (the effects of religion on everyday conduct). The core claim is that an individual can rank high on one dimension and low on another, so a one-number measure of 'how religious' someone is conceals more than it reveals. Operationally, each dimension is tapped by its own cluster of survey items, scaled separately, and the correlations among the dimensions are themselves an object of study. This multidimensional measurement model became the template for nearly all later psychometric work on religiousness.The Faith Maturity Scale (FMS), developed by Peter Benson, Michael Donahue, and Joseph Erickson in 1993, measures not how much religion a person professes but how fully a vibrant, life-transforming faith is lived out. It was built on a denominationally inclusive definition of mature faith and is organized around two dimensions: vertical faith, a deepening relationship with the transcendent or divine, and horizontal faith, the translation of that relationship into service, compassion, and social concern for others. The instrument's distinctive claim is that genuine faith maturity requires both — an inward relationship with God and an outward commitment to humanity — and that a person strong on only one dimension has not reached integrated maturity. Originally developed across mainline Protestant denominations, the FMS became a standard measure of lived, mature faith.
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ScholarGateCompare methods: Glock-Stark Religiosity Dimensions · Faith Maturity Scale. Retrieved 2026-06-24 from https://scholargate.app/en/compare