Religious Status Inventory (RSI)
A self-report measure of Christian religious maturity assessing eight dimensions of religious experience.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Religious Status Inventory (RSI) was developed by H. Newton Malony (1985). It is designed to measure Christian religious maturity. The scale is intended for use with Christians.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 146 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Awareness of God, Acceptance of God’s Grace and Steadfast Love, Being Repentant and Responsible, Knowing God’s Leadership and Direction, Involvement in Organized Religion, Experiencing Fellowship, Being Ethical, Affirming Openness in Faith.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness of God | 5,14,20,22,23,29,52,55,60,65,66,69,77,81,84,85,91,94,98,136 | 20 |
| Acceptance of God's Grace and Steadfast Love | 17,26,33,34,46,47,50,51,57,78,89,90,92,96,100,101,121,138,140 | 19 |
| Being Repentant and Responsible | 9,12,18,25,49,63,68,104,124,143 | 10 |
| Knowing God's Leadership and Direction | 3,6,13,31,38,39,40,48,53,61,73,75,93,97,99,103,109,112,117,123,134,137,145 | 23 |
| Involvement in Organized Religion | 4,16,36,41,64,72,83,86,95,106,110,125,127,128,130,131,132,142 | 18 |
| Experiencing Fellowship | 10,27,30,37,42,43,59,62,74,79,88,102,105,108,111,118,120,135 | 18 |
| Being Ethical | 8,11,21,24,28,32,35,44,45,54,58,70,71,80,82,113,114,122,139,144,146 | 21 |
| Affirming Openness in Faith | 1,2,7,15,19,56,67,76,87,107,115,116,119,126,129,133,141 | 17 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 69 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 146 to 730. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Religious Maturity: 146 – 340
- Moderate Religious Maturity: 341 – 535
- High Religious Maturity: 536 – 730
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha coefficients from .54 to .98 across factors.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.