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ESTABLISHING PEOPLE IN GOD’S WORD
About
Plumbline
The plumb line
is pictured in
Scripture as the
standard of Truth.
“ ‘Behold I am about
to put a plumb line
in the midst of My
people . . . ’ ” (Amos
7:8b). Our goal
with Plumbline
is to help Precept
supporters like
you measure all of
life by God’s Word.
May it bless you!
There’s No
Retirement in
Time of War
page 2
Dramatically
Increasing
Ministry Outreach
page 7
Going Deeper
in God’s Word—
and Loving It!
page 8
PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL 4 APRIL 2012
Plumbline
Students—
Young People
Hungry for
God’s Word
Flock to Student
Conferences
B
COVER: Kay Arthur
teaching God’s Word from
her living room in 1969.
LEFT: Kay teaching
at the December 2011
Transform Student
Conference.
the Heart of Precept Ministries
efore there was Precept Ministries, there was Reach
Out, Inc. Before that there was just Jack and Kay
Arthur doing what they knew God had called them to do—
teaching others how to study God’s Word for themselves.
The majority of those they were teaching in those early
days were students. Middle and high school students
would come to Jack and Kay’s home to hear Kay teach
from God’s Word.
The year was 1969. There were no auditoriums,
no conferences, no camps—just young people hungry
for God’s Word sitting in the Arthur living room taking
in teaching like they had never heard before. With
David’s high chair serving as her podium and a chalkboard
at her side, Kay would teach as long as they were willing
to listen.
(continued on page 3)

Jack and Kay Arthur
Co-Founders of Precept Ministries
David Arthur
CEO of Precept Ministries
The Vision of Precept
Ministries International
To establish people in God’s
Word to live as exemplary
followers of Jesus Christ,
studying the Bible inductively,
viewing the world biblically,
making disciples intentionally,
and serving the Church
faithfully in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
Our mission to
establish people
in God’s Word
is unchanged,
and our work
of teaching
people how to
discover Truth
for themselves is
steadfast.
2 Plumbline | www.precept.org
There’s No Retirement
in Time of War
Beloved,
By now I trust you’ve heard about the transition of our son David to CEO
of Precept Ministries International. Since February 1, David has been at the helm
of the Ministry, and I am here to tell you that all is well in his more than capable
hands. Our mission to establish people in God’s Word is unchanged, and our
work of teaching people how to discover Truth for themselves is steadfast.
Although Jack and I are technically no longer leading the Ministry, I
can assure you that we are here, day in and day out, writing, teaching, and
mentoring. You’ve heard me say it before, but it’s worth repeating: “There
is no retirement in time of war” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). So, Beloved, we’ve not
retired; we’ve just been reassigned.
In just a few weeks, the Precept campus will be “invaded” by hundreds
of young people for Boot Camp 2012. Students from all across the country
will be here for intensive Bible study and leadership development. We will
also be welcoming our 2012 interns who will spend all summer studying and
improving their leadership skills. It is simply incredible how God is using
those we are equipping through the summer intern program to further His
Kingdom in communities and on college campuses around the country. I
hope you will take time to read a little more about our commitment to student
ministry in this issue of Plumbline.
If you have been keeping up with our Answering the Call campaign, you
know we are now in our second full year of working to raise $20 million and
reach 10 million people with the Inductive Bible Study method. On pages 4
and 5, you can read about our progress and how God is using your prayers and
generous financial support to reach more people with God’s Truth every day.
Finally, be sure to check out how we are using new media to connect on
a daily basis with people who are hungry to be equipped with Inductive Bible
Study tools. These new outreach channels are part of the reason why we are
so excited about David’s move to CEO. His visionary leadership will take the
ministry of Precept far beyond anything Jack and I could have ever done.
Thank you for praying for David and the entire Precept team as God
continues to expand our reach and impact around the world.
Your Co-Laborer in Ministry,
P.S. As we enter a new season of ministry with David capably in the lead, I
trust you will continue to support Precept faithfully with your prayers
and gifts. We greatly appreciate your partnership and ask that you would
prayerfully consider becoming part of our E-Team—our “inner circle” of
friends. You can learn more about becoming part of this special group of
friends on page 6.

Fast-forward 41 years to 2012. My, how
things have changed. Jack and Kay’s living room
can no longer hold the thousands of students who
eagerly study God’s Word using the Inductive Bible
Study method. There are Boot Camps, student
conferences, intern programs, and full-time staff
dedicated to making sure we never lose focus on
how it all began—as a ministry to students.
Transform Student
Ministries is the generational
equipping arm of Precept
Ministries International
and is dedicated to coming
alongside teens, college
students, and leaders to
establish them in God’s
Word. Not only do we want
to teach students to study the
Bible for themselves, but we
are equipping them to teach
others as well.
Led by Ritchie Johnson, the Transform team
is seeing incredible results. In December 2011, we
had the most students ever on campus for a weekend
conference. The group was so large they had to eat in
shifts. There just wasn’t room for everyone at once,
but no one complained and all were excited about
what God taught them in a study on Doctrine.
by David
Arthur
Students—the Heart of Precept Ministries (continued from page 1)
“We hear people say that Precept is too hard
for students,” says Ritchie. “But our experience says
otherwise. We are seeing more students than ever
at our events. Young people are hungry for God’s
Word,” he explains.
Transform Student Ministries is not just at work
in the United States. One of the most vibrant parts
of our international work is in
student ministry. Thousands
attend “English Camps” each
summer in Eurasia where
they learn to speak English by
studying the Bible. In Brazil and
Germany, God is using Precept’s
U.S. Boot Camp
Young people
are hungry
for God’s Word.
Discover 4 Yourself series to
train younger students how to
become “inductive detectives.”
In Ecuador and Colombia, Boot
Camps have become the norm
for students involved with
Precept there.
Unfortunately, there are very few places
outside of Precept where teens can hear true biblical
teaching and walk away with the skills needed
to dig out God’s Truth for themselves. We are
committed to student ministry and are thankful for
your partnership in raising up a new generation of
well-equipped disciple-makers. 4
To learn more about how God is using your investment in Precept’s student ministry, please visit www.transformstudent.org.
Students doing their
Precept homework
outdoors in Moldova.
Establishing People in God’s Word | Plumbline 3

ANSWERING THE CALL
4 Plumbline | www.precept.org
QUARTERLY MINISTRY UPDATE
Chattanooga Campus Hosts First
International Leadership Development Conference (ILDC)
F
or the first time ever, representatives from each of Precept’s four
international ministry areas (Eurasia, Spanish, Portuguese, and
Ambassadors) came together in February and March for a Leadership
Development Conference. In the past, each international area has held
leadership training specifically for their directors and trainers, but under the
flag of Mobilizing, all were together for this unprecedented event.
“One of the things we have learned is that when strategies work in
Singapore, they may very well work in Ecuador or Russia as well,” explains
Bob Vereen, who serves as Precept’s Senior Vice President for International
Ministry. “So why not take advantage of the decades of ministry experience
at our disposal and bring everyone together in one place?”
One reason why we have never been able to bring our international
leaders together at the Ministry headquarters was lack of funding. “It’s
frustrating and inefficient to do training in small groups over and over
around the world,” Bob says. “Now, thanks to the resources made available
through Answering the Call, we were able to have them all in one place, at
one time, to hear the same message and get the same training.”
Not only was there plenty of training and sharing of strategies, but the
encouragement provided by knowing they are not alone on the front lines
is so important. So many times, our trainers and directors are in some of the
most remote parts of the world serving those hungry to understand God’s
Word for themselves. Knowing that others around the world are doing the
same thing and that ministry partners like you are praying for their success
makes a huge difference. 4
2012 ILDC
by the Numbers
People attending
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Countries and regions
represented
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Total miles traveled
to conference
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264,719
Greatest distance traveled
in miles (Singapore)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9,864

Spreading the Gospel
with the World Wide Web
H
istory books would tell us the Roman
Road system built in the Near East was
designed to increase commerce and the spread
of the Roman Empire. It made sense to build a
matrix of highways that fed the ever-expanding
Roman Kingdom. But we could also interpret
this massive project in light of God growing
His ever-expanding Kingdom. Christian history
would testify that the roads the Romans built
to multiply the Roman Empire across the Near
East actually served to get the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to the surrounding countries!
The team at Precept has been working diligently over the past several
months to “repurpose” the modern “Roman Road”—what we know to be
the World Wide Web. Lord willing, this year, we will be offering online
training to the entire world in how to study and teach the Bible using
the Inductive Bible Study method! As you may already know, Precept
Ministries International has been training people all over the world to
discover Truth for themselves using the proven Inductive Bible Study
method. This training occurs in workshop settings, schools, and churches
in hundreds of countries around the world. Soon we will be able to offer
quality training for students and Bible Study Leaders—using the Internet.
Although we are continuing to offer live training, this new online option
removes the barriers of schedules, travel, and expenses that come with
attending a live training.
Paul left his son in the faith, Titus, on the island of Crete. The
mission given to Titus was to set in order the newly founded church.
It is interesting to read the specifics Paul gave Titus to accomplish
this large task. One crucial step was for Titus to encourage the older
to train the younger. Paul
wanted those who had walked
with God over the years
to pass on what they had
learned in order to train the
next generation. It seems to
me that our current online
training effort is similar. We
want to take the wealth
of more than 40 years
Precept’s Website
by David
Arthur
of Inductive Bible Study
training and pass it along—
using today’s Roman Road, the Internet—to the next generation.
We want to establish people in God’s Word. And thanks to God for your
faithful partnership, this dream is becoming a life-changing reality for
thousands and thousands around the world! 4
1,000,000 People
Established in God’s Word
through
Answering the Call
Precept Ministries International is
now in the second full year of the
five-year strategic growth initiative
known as Answering the Call.
Although great progress has been
made toward the goal of reaching
10 million people with the Inductive
Bible Study method, there is still a
long way to go.
To date, $3 million has been given,
and one million people have been
identified and established in God’s
Word. That puts the results at 10
percent of the total goal in people
reached and 15 percent of the
needed $20 million to make the
vision a reality.
Precept’s CEO David Arthur noted
that the first couple of years of the
plan are really a “ramp- up” period.
“It has taken some time to identify
and evaluate projects that will
have the greatest impact on the
goal of reaching 10 million people,”
David explains. “And while we have
seen some extraordinary progress
with more funding than ever for
international ministry, the greatest
impact lies ahead in years three, four,
and five.”
On behalf of those we currently
serve and the millions more we
seek to serve through Answering
the Call, we are grateful and blessed
by your partnership in prayer and
giving. Those two things truly make
ministry happen around the world,
and we are excited to see what
God has in store this year and in
the years ahead as we continue to
follow His guidance and direction
for the ministry of Precept.
Establishing People in God’s Word | Plumbline 5

BOOK SPOTLIGHT
Is Sin Threatening
Your Spiritual
Progress?
Send for
your copy
today!
Any type of sin can undermine a
believer’s effectiveness, but certain
sins can become so deeply rooted in
our lives—even without our realizing
it—that they become fatal to our
spiritual growth.
This 40-Minute Study looks at six of
the “deadly sins” that threaten spiritual
progress: pride, anger, jealousy, gluttony,
slothfulness, and greed. You’ll learn to
identify the subtle ways in which these
fatal distractions can invade your life,
and you’ll be equipped to conquer these
destructive temptations so you can
mature in your journey with Christ.
This study is part of our revolutionary
40-Minute Study series that is an easy
introduction to Inductive Bible Study.
These no-homework, 6-week studies
have proven great for small groups and
have a unique format that includes
Scripture alongside the text.
They zoom in on the issues you
care about and help you learn to think
about them as God does. The focused,
self-contained studies with Scripture,
questions, and informative insights guide
you into God’s Word one topic at a time,
6 weeks at a time, with no homework.
Learn to think biblically and
discover what God has to say about
six of the “deadly sins” that hinder
spiritual growth. Send for your copy
of Fatal Distractions today or go to
www.precept.org/fatal. 4
6 Plumbline | www.precept.org
Answering the Call Brings New Van
for Eurasia Training Center
A key part of Precept’s ministry from our training center at Lake Surduc,
Romania, is the ability to make certain student, trainers and others
can get to the training center. The closest rail station is in Lugoj nearly
35 kilometers away. The closest airport is in Timisoara which is nearly
100 kilometers away. A new van will help with the constant flow of
people studying inductively at the training center.
The new van which was provided as part of Answering the Call was
especially welcome this year as Romania and all of Europe experienced
one of its worst winters on record. Thank you for being part of the work
God is doing in some very difficult places. Over 36,000 Precept Bible
Studies are meeting across Eurasia.
Join the Team!
For more than 40 years, God has provided
Kay with friends who faithfully pray and
financially support Precept. Over time they
became known as the E-Team (“Epaphroditus”
from Philippians 2:25).
If you are not already an E-Team member,
we encourage you to become a part of
this special team of people who commit to praying monthly and
providing automatic monthly gifts to the work of Precept Ministries
International. See the enclosed reply card for more information on
how you can be like Epaphroditus—someone we can lean on as we
work to fulfill the mission God has placed before us.
Go online to www.precept.org/eteam to sign up!

New Technologies Could Dramatically
Increase Ministry Outreach
I
n 2011, God allowed Precept Ministries International
to train 157,000 people around the world in the
Inductive Bible Study method. But we also had more
than one million people visit our website.
Although Precept has had a website for many years,
only recently have the tools been available that will allow
us to use the Internet as a primary way to train and equip
people with the skills they need to study the Bible for
themselves and teach others to do the same. Today, we
are actively engaging those who visit precept.org in
a way that will hopefully give them just a glimpse of
what God has for them in His Word.
By God’s grace
and because of your
generous support, we were
able to establish the Precept
Technology Office (PTO) last
year, headed up by longtime
ministry Vice President
Andre Duval. Andre’s team
has been evaluating every
piece of technology within the Ministry in order to
determine what we can do to better serve Bible Study
Leaders and students.
“This goes far beyond just a new website,” Andre
explains. “What happens behind the scenes is so critical
to our being able to properly train and equip people at
every level.”
Whether you’re interested in leading Precept Upon
Precept, a 40-Minute Study, the New Inductive Study
This goes far
beyond just a new
website.
Series, or any other Precept study, there’s an Interactive
Bible Study Guide on the new website that helps visitors
determine what is best for their particular situation.
Along with the new web presence, production
is well under way for online training, which will be
available later this year. We are already hearing from
people who are excited about being equipped online,
on their own schedule, rather than having to travel and
take the time and expense to attend traditional training.
Live training will still be available, but online training is
expected to provide training to an entirely new group of
people we would never otherwise engage.
In addition to these
new and expanded efforts,
we now have three full-time
staff working with social
media. Tens of thousands
of people are engaged with
us through Facebook and
Twitter every day. And
although there is no way to
calculate the reach of Precept when our “friends” then
reach out to their “friends” who then reach out to their
“friends,” and so on, it quickly becomes clear that the
multiplication factor increases dramatically.
These are just a few of the exciting things
Precept is doing to help reach the goal of establishing
10 million people in God’s Word by 2015. And they all
take time and effort in order to be effective. Thank you
for making it possible to reach further than we ever
thought possible. 4
HELPFUL PRECEPT WEBSITES THAT YOU SHOULD BOOKMARK
http://www.facebook.com/
precept.org
http://www.precept.org/
interactive_guide
http://www.facebook.com/
kayarthur.precept
Establishing People in God’s Word | Plumbline 7

B
oth Art and Shirley Adams had been involved in Bible
study most of their lives, so when Shirley was invited
to attend a Precept Upon Precept class in 1996, she thought
it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. “Boy was I wrong,” says
Shirley. She quickly found herself going deeper into God’s
Word than ever before—and loving it!
That same fall, Shirley attended training and became
a Precept Bible Study Leader herself. Art got his start with
Precept in 1997, and both have been studying God’s Word
inductively ever since.
“The only real truth is found in God’s Word,”
explains Art. “All the answers to life are right there. And
it’s not like God is trying to hide them from us. They are
there, and we can find them ourselves.” Shirley agrees,
and both express how their daily lives have been impacted
by studying the Bible with Precept. “We have a much better
understanding of who God is and how He wants us to serve
Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
One of the highlights of their partnership with
Precept was the opportunity to visit the Ministry’s Eurasia
Training Center in Romania a few years ago. “We really
started giving to Precept because of the international
ministry,” Art says. “And when we were able to go and see
how God is using Precept in so many different countries,
it was just thrilling.”
Speaking about the recent news of David Arthur
assuming the role of CEO at the Ministry, Art and Shirley
were excited to see how God has raised up a leader for the
future of Precept at just the right time. “We understand the
importance of succession planning. You can’t just close
the doors when you decide it’s time to slow down, and
we are thankful Precept feels the same way.” Shirley adds
that they are thankful for Jack and Kay’s faithfulness and
commitment over the years and know that passing the baton
of leadership to David is God’s plan for the future.
8 Plumbline | www.precept.org
Art and
Shirley
Adams Are
Answering
the Call
Going Deeper in God’s Word—and Loving It!
One of the things that keeps Art and Shirley
committed to financial partnership with Precept is the
ongoing effort to refine and extend the reach of the Ministry
around the world. “We keep giving because we believe in
the mission of Precept,” says Art. “We love being part of the
Precept family,” Shirley adds, “and it’s our hearts’ desire
to see more people have the opportunity to discover God’s
Truth for themselves.”
We are thankful for Art and Shirley Adams—just one
example of our many partners who are Answering the Call. 4
Art and Shirley Adams
in front of a Precept
Ministries sign in Romania.