Kay Lee Arthur, the Bible study teacher whose international Precepts Ministry grew out of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, passed away on May 20. She was 91.
A social media post for Precept USA said that Arthur and her husband, Jack, started leading Bible studies from their living room in the 1960s. “Over the past 55 years, that small outreach has grown into an international ministry discipling millions through Scripture. Through television, radio, writing, and speaking, God has used Kay to transform millions of lives across the world. Including ours.”
Born in Jackson, Michigan, on November 11, 1933, Arthur spent her early years moving often but attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, to study nursing. After earning her degree as a registered nurse, she married Tom Goetz and had two sons, Tom and Mark, but the couple soon divorced.
At age 29, she gave her life to Jesus Christ.
While studying at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, she met missionary Jack Arthur, and the two were married in 1965. They were married for 51 years until Jack’s death in 2017.
The Arthurs served as independent missionaries in Mexico where their son, David, was born. After leaving the mission field, they settled back in Chattanooga and attended First Presbyterian Church (PCA). The Arthurs started leading Bible studies for teenagers in their living room, calling the ministry Reach Out.
Christie Cooper had recently become a Christian when she began attending that weekly Bible study. She recalls the Arthurs’ living room crowded with young people eager to learn.
“Her enthusiasm was amazing and her teaching was bold,” Cooper said.
Cooper left Chattanooga in 1970 to attend college and returned in 1983. When she return to First Pres, she would see Arthur, and they would talk periodically.
“Because she was one of my first ‘real’ Bible teachers, she helped lay the foundation of my faith,” Cooper said.
When Arthur published her first study guide on the Book of Romans in 1982, Reach Out was renamed Precept Ministries. The name was taken from Isaiah 28: “Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept” (vv. 9–10, KJV).
Today, Precept serves in nearly 190 countries and has been translated into more than 110 languages. Precept estimates that over the past 50 years, more than 2 million people have participated in Precept studies, and there are more than 250,000 active Bible study leaders right now.
Cooper’s husband David was a reporter with the Chattanooga Free Press, and his reporting on the Arthurs purchasing a farm property for their growing ministry made front-page news. The Arthurs renovated the barn to accommodate Bible study classes. David Cooper said as the ministry grew, Precept Ministries added buildings on the property to host conferences and serve as its worldwide headquarters.
From 1999–2019, Arthur hosted “Precepts for Life,” a syndicated Bible study television program that broadcasted to more than 30 countries and reached over 75 million households. The program was twice recognized as the Best Television Teaching Program by The National Religious Broadcasters.
During her life Arthur wrote more than 100 books and Bible studies. She was a four-time Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion Award-winning author, recipient of ECPA’s Pinnacle Award, recipient of the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame Award and Lifetime Achievement award, recipient of an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Tennessee Temple University for her outstanding biblical knowledge, and an honorary doctorate of divinity from Piedmont International University.
Arthur’s son David is an ordained PCA teaching elder and president and CEO of Precept USA. On Instagram he wrote, “When my mom surrendered her life to Christ in 1963, she truly gave her all to Him. She moved wherever He called her to be, which meant serving as a missionary and learning to lead and write Bible studies. She was deeply passionate about the mission of Precept because she loved God’s Word. It was her life.
“For over 55 years, she dedicated her life to guiding others to God through the light of His Word. She is now gone, but her legacy lives on. My parents may have started Precept, but God has always had bigger plans for this ministry, far beyond what we ever dreamed.”
In 2020 Arthur was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease but continued to serve as part of Precept until her death.
Kay is survived by her three sons, Tom Goetz, Mark Goetz, and David Arthur (Margaret); nine grandchildren, Meg Day (John), Joseph Goetz, and Daniel Goetz; John Goetz (Whitney), Ryan Goetz and Alexandra Goetz; Jesse Callahan (Zach), Abigail Edens (Robert), and Ann Arthur; and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church on Sunday, June 1 and a recording of the service is available here.