Who is Kay Arthur? We could sum the answer up this way: Kay Arthur is passionate about knowing the Word of God and teaching others how to study the Bible inductively.
One of the Scripture passages she used when autographing her books is Philippians 3:7-14. Notice verse 10: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” For over 50 years, she has dedicated her life to doing this one thing—knowing Him and making Him known.
What Is Kay Arthur Known For?
Kay was born on November 11, 1933, in Jackson, Michigan. She grew up attending church and reciting from a prayer book but had no personal relationship with Jesus. After college, she graduated from nursing school. Kay married Frank Thomas Goetz, Jr., and they had two sons, but the marriage ended in divorce. Kay has been honest about this period—including sinful choices made during that time and grappling with her ex-husband’s death by suicide—when she talks about her life.
Kay came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ on July 12, 1963. She was 29 and living in Baltimore, Maryland. Through a series of events, she became a student at Tennessee Temple University. It was here that she would meet Jack Arthur, who was speaking at one of the university chapel meetings. Arthur was an alumnus who served ten years with the Pocket Testament League in Africa. They were married on December 16, 1965.
Together they served three years as independent missionaries to Mexico. During that time, their son, David, was born. They were heartbroken when they realized health issues meant they had to return to the States. Chattanooga, Tennessee, became their new home. Jack went to work at a Christian radio station, and Kay started a Bible study for teenagers in their home. Then in 1970, they became cofounders of Precept Ministries. Today, their 32-acre chicken farm in Chattanooga is the headquarters for Precept Ministries International.
Kay is an international Bible teacher, a four-time recipient of the ECPA Christian Book Award, and has written more than 100 books. She also co-authored a book with Emilie Barnes and Donna Otto, Youniquely Woman, sharing wisdom for younger women. All of them have taken part in conferences based on ideas from the book.
Today, at 89, Kay is dealing with Parkinson’s disease and will joke about her occasional memory issues. In autumn 2022, she made a special appearance with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at the True Woman ’22 Conference. Kay continues to be an inspiration and encourager around the world. Most importantly, she is a woman who knows God’s redemption, mercy, grace, and love. Beloved, she wants you to know Jesus as well.
What Are Kay Arthur’s Key Themes?
We are living in an age of biblical illiteracy. That statement is hard to believe when you can find a Bible in almost any major retail store or bookstore. Anyone with a smartphone can read the Bible for free using one of many apps or an online search. We are a biblically malnourished nation because we do not take the Word of Life seriously.
What is the problem? The Bible may be in our homes, but it is neglected. The statistics vary, but a LifeWay Study done several years ago stated “that only 32 percent of Americans who “attend a Protestant church regularly say they read the Bible personally every day.”
However, the Bible tells us it will hold every individual accountable for how they live. Knowing God’s Word takes diligence, discipline, and dedication.
But there are tools to help you do this. The first is prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to teach you. Then, learn how to study the Bible. The Inductive Bible Study Method created by Kay and Jack Arthur is an excellent way to do this.
Kay’s method works like this:
1. Observation: ask the five W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why). Sometimes we need one last part, How.
2. Interpretation: what does the text mean?
3. Application: How do I apply what I have learned to my life, and what changes need to be made?
For more detailed information, read “The Inductive Method of Bible Study: Know The Basics.”
Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days is a great resource to help you get started. You will learn to use colored pencils or the Inductive Pen Set to mark keywords and make symbols. For example, the reference to God is marked in yellow, and references to land are marked in green. Studying is different than reading the text. By studying, you dig deeper and see how Scripture interprets Scripture.
Three years ago, Kay did an interview with Education for Life founder Kevin Conover on “Is Biblical Illiteracy the Church’s Biggest Problem?” I highly recommend listing this for her insights and some wonderful details regarding her life story.
If you have ever heard Kay Arthur in person, you know she talks about using the Bible as “the plumbline of truth,” the thing which we hold our lives against to see if we are living properly. She shares how to do this in an interview for the Revive Our Hearts conference.
Important Events in the Life of Kay Arthur
When Kay Arthur placed her faith and trust in Christ, her life changed forever. Her thirst and desire to know God’s Word put her on a new mission: discipling other Christ followers.
How did this mission begin? It started while she and Jack were serving as missionaries in Mexico. She read Irving L. Jensen’s books about studying the Bible independently. While teaching students, she taught this inductive method to others and continued with small groups when she and her family had to return to the states in 1965.
The teaching inductively momentum grew, so much so that they purchased a 32-acre chicken farm near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and started a ministry called Reach Out in 1970.
The first summer Boot Camp for teenagers was held in 1975 at Reach Out. During this same year, Kay wrote the first Precept Upon Precept course, focusing on Romans, for women in Atlanta, Georgia, area because she wasn’t about to attend in person.
Significant changes occurred in 1982 when the ministry’s name was changed to Precept Ministries. Kay’s first book, How Can I Live?, was published by Harvest House Publishers. The same name introduced a weekly television program.
By 1999, the ministry had expanded overseas. Mia and Costel Oglice are the first to launch an international training Institute. In Romania, the Precept’s Eurasian training Center is built. The media endeavors have grown to a radio and half-our program called “Precepts for Life,” and the video series is available for every book of the Bible, verse by verse.
In 2012, Jack and Kay Arthur stepped down as Co-CEOs, and their son, David Arthur, became CEO. Jack passed at the age of 90 on January 9, 2017.
In 2019, Precept Ministries decided to refocus on Bible study leaders to increase growth. There are currently 250,000 leaders and two million Bible study participants worldwide.
In 2022, Kay set and met her goal to complete every Bible book in The New Inductive Study Series.
Kay Arthur continues her mission because it is the bread by which we live. God, the Author of the Scriptures, called people to teach and learn His Word.
10 Inspiring Quotes by Kay Arthur
1. “There is a purpose in everything that God allows.” — When the Hurt Runs Deep
2. “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. And as we all know, a relationship requires a high commitment to communication.” — Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days
3. “There are times, beloved, when God will place you in the middle of trials—a hospital stay, rejection, a financial blow. He lets you hurt as others hurt, knowing that the way you handle it will be a testimony, that your response will show others that there’s something awesomely different about you.” — Search My Heart, O God
4. “One of the most important principles of handling the Word properly and studying the Bible inductively is to interpret Scripture in the light of its context. Why? Because context always rules in interpretation.” — How to Study Your Bible
5. “And when God is involved is involved in a situation, you can throw out all the whole common expectations.” — When the Hurt Runs Deep
6. “Time alone with God and faithful study of His Word equip and establish us so we can stand firm when Satan attacks our thoughts. “Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).” — Speak to My Heart, God
7. “When we appropriate God’s great enablers-His grace and His peace-we can achieve gentleness and calmness even during hard times.” — Walking with God in the Quiet Places
The following quotes were taken from the transcript of an interview Kay Arthur had with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at the National Women’s Conference: True Woman ‘22, Heaven Rules.
8. “The more you know God, the more you know His Word, the stronger you will be so that whatever comes your way, you can stand firm, take action, and walk righteously.”
9. “Know God deeply and live differently. And you cannot know God deeply apart from the Word of God.”
10. “Any time that I have a need, I run to the Word of God. I ask God, “God, show me what I need to know. Show me what I need to do.” Then I wait upon the Lord. The more you study the Word of God, the easier it is. I’ve been in the Word of God for all these years, so it is ready for me. It’s not necessary that you know where to run, but we teach you how to go the Word of God and how to discover the answers because there is everything that pertains to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3). Everything is in this Book.”
Ecards available at Crosscards allow you to share a quote from Kay Arthur.
10 Great Books by Kay Arthur
These are some of her best books, many of which have study guides you can get directly from Precept Ministries.
1. The New Inductive Study Bible
3. Discover the Bible for Yourself
4. Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days
10. Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days
If you want a Kay Arthur resource that will help you go through books of the Bible more in-depth, you can always get the 40 Minute Bible Studies or the New Inductive Study Series. The second series is 13 weeks long and offers an excellent introduction to the Precept Bible Study Method.
If you would like to learn more, take a moment to read the following :
Cease Striving and Know That He Is God
How I Stopped Striving and Started Resting in Him
If God is Good, Why Does He Allow Suffering?
Why Are There So Many Bible Translations?
How Do We Know There Are Not Any Mistakes in the Bible?
Did the Writers of the Bible Realize They Were Writing God’s Words?
If God is Sovereign, Did He Create Evil?
What Is a Covenant, and Why Is it important to Us Today?
Photo Credit: Graphic by G. Connor Salter. Background photo by Sara Kurfeß/Unsplash
Laura Lee Leathers is a writer and speaker. Imagine Lois Lane, over sixty-five, and living on a farm. Her metropolis is the area of freelance writing. Her primary love interest is the Word of God. She digs for information, interviews fascinating people, offers a cup of biblical hospitalit-tea, encourages, and helps others with the ‘how-to’s’ of life. To sign up for her newsletter, connect with her at http://lauraleeleathers.com - - - “Helping You Flourish in Faith & Finish Well by His Word”
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
How Did the Apostle Paul Die?
Who are the Nicolaitans in Revelation?
Who Was Deborah in the Bible?
Who Was Moses in the Bible?
King Solomon's Story in the Bible
Who Was Lot's Wife in the Bible?
Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?
Who Was the Prodigal Son?
