On May 20, 2025, Kay Arthur went home to be with the Lord. She was 91. I had just met representatives from Precepts Canada at a recent SOLA conference. They spoke with affection of their founder, who was still alive. They told me of her son David, who had co-written some of her later works with her and was now at the helm of the ministry. Just four days later, this faithful servant and spiritual mother met her Saviour face to face.
Kay Arthur was the co-founder of Precept Ministries International, a global ministry dedicated to equipping people to study the Bible for themselves using the inductive method. Through her teaching, writing, and leadership, she trained millions to engage deeply with Scripture across more than 180 countries and in nearly 100 languages.
Shaping My Youth
I was a young believer in my teens when I first came under her godly influence. A friend gifted me the International Inductive Study Bible (IISB), edited by Kay Arthur. Its slogan was “Discover God’s Truth for Yourself.” I never would have imagined that, decades later, this would become the motto for my own life’s calling.
The IISB didn’t bear Arthur’s name on the cover, like some study Bibles do today. I hardly recall grasping that it was the fruit of a woman’s ministry. Here’s what I do remember: As a new follower of Jesus, she gave me my very first toolkit for unearthing the treasures of God’s Word for myself.
The International Inductive Study Bible (IISB)
The IISB was a massive Bible, but it contained minimal commentary. Its size was due to its extra-wide margins. These allowed plenty of room to write down observations. It also included an extensive introduction to the inductive study methods for which Kay Arthur is now so famous: observation, interpretation, and application. It included an overview of each book of the Bible and its major themes and key phrases. And it taught readers how to create colourful symbols to mark these repeated words and phrases. Armed with my trusty set of Crayola coloured pencils, I soon wore through entire books of the Bible applying her methods. The most memorable was my study of Romans while studying abroad in the Italian capital.
Jesus of Nazareth: The First Fishing Instructor
As I think back on the influence of Kay Arthur, I’m reminded of one of Jesus’ earliest images for discipleship: fishing. When he called some of his first disciples at the Sea of Galilee, he said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Kay didn’t just teach the Bible—she taught people how to study it and then pass that on to others. She taught us to fish.
To borrow Jesus’ metaphor, we train fishermen by transmitting Christ’s discipleship lifestyle. We don’t merely make converts. We reproduce ourselves in others, who will in turn do the same. Our success requires that we pass along the tools of the trade. We must go beyond distributing fish to offering fishing lessons.
My Impetus for Ministry
By the time I completed my seminary training in 2003, I sensed the Lord calling me to theological education. After spending most of the summers between my conversion and my graduation on mission trips, this much was clear: I wanted to teach people to fish. Within less than a year, I met my husband Dan. He, too, sensed God’s call to theological education. In February 2005, we got married. Ever since then, we’ve dedicated our lives and ministry to raising up the next generation of leaders. We’ve endeavoured to do so, first, in our home, with our two daughters. Beyond that, we’ve invested in leaders on three continents: In Senegal, Europe, and North America. And I believe that, in some ways, it personally began with the seed that Kay Arthur planted in my heart over thirty years ago.
Kay Arthur’s Legacy Lives On
If I’m completely honest, I will admit that the only book of Kay Arthur’s I ever owned until our recent SOLA conference was the IISB. Yet I believe it was her magnum opus. Every book she has written since likely applies the principles she taught me then. I look forward to making up for lost time, beginning with the book my new friends from Precepts Canada gifted me. Kay Arthur may have entered into her eternal rest, but her voice still speaks today. I’ll keep learning from her—and teaching others to fish—as long as the Lord gives me breath.
