Scale Overview
The Faith Maturity Scale – FMS was developed by Peter L. Benson, Michael J. Donahue, & Joseph A. Erickson (1993). It is designed to measure Faith Maturity. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 38 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Vertical Faith, Horizontal Faith, General.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Vertical Faith |
2,3,7,9,11,14,15,19,23,25,26,30,31,34,36,38 |
16 |
| Horizontal Faith |
1,4,5,6,8,13,16,17,18,21,22,28,29,33,35,37 |
16 |
| General |
10,12,20,24,27,32 |
6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never true, 2 = Rarely true, 3 = True once in a while, 4 = Sometimes true, 5 = Often true, 6 = Almost always true, 7 = Always true.
The scale includes 5 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 38 to 266. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Faith Maturity: 38 – 114
- Medium Faith Maturity: 115 – 190
- High Faith Maturity: 191 – 266
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha: .84 to .90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.