Organizational Religiousness

Abstract

The Organizational Religiousness scale is a key component of the Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality framework developed by the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. Adopted and synthesized by Ellen Idler (1999), this instrument is designed to measure an individual’s participation in, attachment to, and experience within formal religious institutions, such as a church or synagogue. The scale captures objective measures of attendance alongside subjective assessments of organizational fit and the importance of specific worship activities, providing a robust measure of public religious engagement relevant to health and social research.

Keywords

Organizational Religiousness, Religious Attendance, Spiritual Fit, Worship Experience, Religious Participation, Psychological construct, Fetzer Institute, Health Research, Social Behavior.

Authors

Ellen Idler (Adopter, 1999), Kenneth Pargament, Frank B. Tyler, Richard E. Steele, Peter Benson, General Social Survey (Original item sources).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Organizational Religiousness scale is to quantify the extent and nature of an individual’s involvement in a formal religious organization. It moves beyond simple attendance counts by incorporating measures of affective attachment and the perceived personal fit within the congregation. This multidimensional approach allows researchers, particularly those in health and gerontology fields, to assess how institutional religious engagement contributes to well-being, social support, and mortality outcomes.

The scale serves to operationalize the concept of organizational religiousness into measurable subcomponents: attendance (behavioral frequency), fit (affective connection and belonging), and the specific nature of the worship experience (subjective importance of rituals and activities). This structure facilitates detailed analysis of the pathways through which religious organizations influence individual lives.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of Organizational Religiousness, defined as the degree to which an individual participates in and identifies with the institutional practices and community of a place of worship. It is structured around three distinct subdomains:

• Attendance: Measures the frequency of participating in formal religious services and other associated activities (adopted from the General Social Survey).
• Fit: Assesses the subjective sense of belonging, comfort, and emotional attachment to the congregation (drawing on work by Pargament, Tyler, and Steele, and Benson).
• Worship Experience: Measures the frequency and perceived importance of specific ritualistic and spiritual activities experienced during formal worship (developed by Idler).

Collectively, these components provide a comprehensive profile of an individual’s public and institutional religious life, distinguishing between mere physical presence and deep affective or experiential engagement.

Validity

While specific psychometric validation studies for this combined scale are often embedded within larger research reports, the validity of the Organizational Religiousness measure is supported by its derivation from well-established instruments. The attendance items are standard indicators used in large-scale social science research, such as the General Social Survey (GSS), which possess high face validity for measuring behavioral religiousness.

Furthermore, the inclusion of the scale within the “Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research” report by the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group signifies expert consensus regarding its content validity and utility in epidemiological and psychosocial studies. The “Fit” subscale, adapted from prior validated measures (Pargament et al., 1979; Benson, 1988), enhances construct validity by capturing the emotional and communal dimension of organizational involvement, which is often crucial for explaining health outcomes.

Reliability

The reliability of the organizational religiousness construct, particularly the Attendance component, is typically assessed through test-retest reliability in longitudinal studies, where frequency of attendance tends to be a relatively stable behavioral trait. The Fit and Worship Experience subscales, being multi-item measures, would generally be evaluated using internal consistency metrics such as Cronbach’s alpha.

The original items contributing to the Fit subscale have demonstrated acceptable levels of internal consistency in their respective source studies (e.g., Pargament et al., 1979). Researchers utilizing the complete Organizational Religiousness long form in health research are advised to report internal consistency measures for the Fit and Worship Experience components to confirm reliability within their specific study populations.

Factor Analysis

Although the scale is presented as a singular measure of Organizational Religiousness, the underlying structure is inherently multidimensional, suggesting a multi-factor solution. The scale explicitly groups items into three conceptually distinct domains: Attendance, Fit, and Worship Experience. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) would likely support a three-factor model, reflecting:

1. A Behavioral Factor (Attendance frequency).
2. An Affective/Communal Factor (Congregational Fit).
3. An Experiential Factor (Importance and frequency of specific worship activities, such as praying or listening to the sermon).

This factor structure aligns with the goal of the Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality framework to capture distinct, yet related, facets of religious life.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric scale.

Format: Long Form (17 items across three sections) and Short Form (2 items focusing only on Attendance). Responses utilize various Likert-type scales (e.g., 9-point frequency scale, 5-point agreement scale, and combined frequency/importance scales).

Language Available: English (Original language).

Population Group: General adult population, particularly those affiliated with a religious organization (church or synagogue).

Age Group: Adults (Typically used in studies spanning mid-life through geriatric populations, especially in health research).

Population Details: Suitable for individuals who identify with or participate in institutional religious practices, often used in large community surveys and epidemiological studies focusing on religion, health, and social determinants.

Test Methodology: Administration is typically done via paper-and-pencil survey or electronic survey. Scoring involves summing or averaging items within subscales (Attendance, Fit, Worship Experience) to derive dimensional scores, though specific scoring instructions depend on the research application.

Keywords

Religious Attendance, Congregational Fit, Spiritual Health, Public Religiousness, Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group, General Social Survey, Spiritual Assessment, Religious services, Ellen Idler.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was adopted and synthesized by Ellen Idler around 1999, drawing heavily on public domain items (GSS) and previously published academic scales. The instrument was officially published as part of the Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality report in 1999.

The instrument is widely available for research use, typically without specific fee requirements, as it was published as part of a major public health research initiative coordinated by the Fetzer Institute and the NIA. The full report detailing the instrument and its context is available online. The original instrument can be found on pages 75-79 of the report, available online here: http://fetzer.org/resources/multidimensional-measurement-religiousnessspirituality-use-health-research

Reference’s

• Benson P‚ et al. (1988). Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations. Minneapolis‚ Minn: Search Institute.
• Idler EL‚ Benyamini Y. (1997). Self-rated health and mortality: A review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior ;38:21-37.
• Idler EL‚ Kasl SV. (1997). Religion among disabled and nondisabled persons I: Cross-sectional patterns in health practices‚ social activities‚ and well-being. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences ;52:294-305.
• Pargament K‚ Tyler FB‚ Steele RE. (1979). Is fit it? The relationship between church/synagogue member fit and the psychosocial competence of the member. J Community Psychol ;7:243-252.
• Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. (1999). Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research: A Report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group.

Items of the Organizational Religiousness

ORGANIZATIONAL RELIGIOUSNESS

LONG FORM

Attendance (General Social Survey)

1. How often do you attend religious services?

1 –Never‚ 2 -Less than once a year‚ 3- About once or twice a year‚ 4- Several times a year‚ 5 -About once a month‚ 6 – 2-3 times a month‚ 7 -Nearly every week‚ 8 -Every week‚ 9 -Several times a week

2. Besides religious services‚ how often do you take part in other activities at a place of worship?

1 –Never‚ 2 -Less than once a year‚ 3- About once or twice a year‚ 4- Several times a year‚ 5 -About once a month‚ 6 – 2-3 times a month‚ 7 -Nearly every week‚ 8 -Every week‚ 9 -Several times a week

Fit (Pargament‚ Tyler‚ and Steele 1979; Benson 1988)

3. We all differ according to our general interests‚ attitudes‚ beliefs‚ and values. Your church/synagogue‚ in turn‚ has its own unique identity as demonstrated through its religious‚ educational‚ organizational‚ and social activities. Church/synagogue members may differ somewhat according to how well they‚ as individuals‚ fit in their church/synagogue.

How well do you feel that you fit in your church/synagogue?

1 – Fit extremely well‚ 2 – Fit very well‚ 3 – Fit slightly‚ 4 – Do not fit very well‚ 5 – Do not fit at all

4. If I had to change churches/synagogues‚ I would feel a great sense of loss.

1 – Strongly agree‚ 2 – Agree‚ 3 – Not sure‚ 4 – Disagree‚ 5 – Strongly disagree

5. I feel at home in this church/synagogue.

1 – Strongly agree‚ 2 – Agree‚ 3 – Not sure‚ 4 – Disagree‚ 5 – Strongly disagree

6. I would change my church/synagogue if it developed major leadership or financial problems.

1 – Strongly agree‚ 2 – Agree‚ 3 – Not sure‚ 4 – Disagree‚ 5 – Strongly disagree

7. The church/synagogue I attend matters a great deal to me.

1 – Strongly agree‚ 2 – Agree‚ 3 – Not sure‚ 4 – Disagree‚ 5 – Strongly disagree

Worship Experience (Idler)

8. Following is a list of things people commonly experience in religious worship services. Please state how often you do these things when attending services and how important they are to you.

a. Listening to others perform music.

1 – More than once per service‚

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

b. Singing or performing music yourself.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

c. Praying.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

d. Reading or listening to Scripture or Torah.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

e. Listening to the sermon or drasha.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

f. Participating in rituals or sacraments‚ such as commun‎ion‚ baptism‚ or lighting the Sabbath candles.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

g. Thinking about the beauty of the building.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

h. Sitting in silence.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

i. Being part of a healing ritual‚ like the laying on of hands.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

j. Receiving gifts of the spirit‚ like speaking in tongues.

1 – More than once per service

1 – Extremely important

2 – One per service

2 – Very important

3 – Regularly but not every service

3 – Somewhat important

4 – Occasionally

4 – Of slight importance

5 – Never

5 – Not important at all

ORGANIZATIONAL RELIGIOUSNESS

SHORT FORM

Attendance (General Social Survey)

1. How often do you attend religious services?

1 –Never‚ 2 -Less than once a year‚ 3- About once or twice a year‚ 4- Several times a year‚ 5 -About once a month‚ 6 – 2-3 times a month‚ 7 -Nearly every week‚ 8 -Every week‚ 9 -Several times a week

2. Besides religious services‚ how often do you take part in other activities at a place of worship?

1 –Never‚ 2 -Less than once a year‚ 3- About once or twice a year‚ 4- Several times a year‚ 5 -About once a month‚ 6 – 2-3 times a month‚ 7 -Nearly every week‚ 8 -Every week‚ 9 -Several times a week