This fourth edition of the Manual for Faith Development Research continues its mission to assist researchers in the field and ensure methodological consistency among them. Since its first edition in 1986, the Manual has evolved in response to the increasing number of dissertations and research projects globally, incorporating contemporary discussions, such as feminist critiques of faith development theory. The third edition introduced significant revisions, including a restructuring of coding criteria to better reflect the diverse aspects of faith and address the uneven distribution of stage assignments found in empirical research. The fourth edition further acknowledges new conceptual and empirical advancements in developmental psychology and psychology of religion. It shifts from a linear view of development to a multidimensional and multidirectional model, emphasizing a lifespan perspective. This edition also recognizes the growing relevance of religious styles, prompting updates to the semantics of “stages” and “faith.” By addressing these contemporary challenges, the Manual builds on two decades of faith development evaluation at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Bielefeld University, ensuring its relevance and utility for researchers in the field.
