Over the past two decades, there has been a marked shift in development research, policy, and practice toward recognizing religion as a significant factor—a movement described by Emma Tomalin as a “turn to religion” (2020). What was once considered taboo, as noted by Ver Beek (2000), has now become an established interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field of inquiry. This growing body of research explores the diverse ways in which religious beliefs, practices, and communities intersect with economic, social, political, ecological, and cultural dimensions of (sustainable) development. Spurred by policy interest and institutional engagement from organizations such as the UN, World Bank, and various national agencies, the field has expanded beyond academia to include religious actors themselves. While there is growing consensus on religion’s potential to shape developmental outcomes, findings remain context-dependent and theoretically fragmented. Existing studies often emphasize empirical case work, yet lack a coherent conceptual foundation for comparative analysis. Responding to this gap, the chapter introduces a conceptual framework aimed at facilitating systematic research into the role of religion in development. This framework emphasizes the importance of context-specificity and the need to anchor analyses in empirically identifiable religious phenomena. It further engages with contemporary debates in the sociology of religion, including secularization and individualization, to refine the framework’s applicability. Ultimately, this contribution seeks to advance the theoretical grounding of religion and development studies and to offer a versatile tool for examining religion’s role in broader processes of social transformation.