There’s another doctor on OKWU’s campus.
Last semester, the university had the privilege of welcoming a new professor, Dr. Jon Ensor, into the School of Ministry and Christian Thought. Ensor busied himself with a full teaching load of five classes, and recently had the honor of successfully defending his doctoral thesis at the London School of Theology, thus completing his doctorate program.
Ensor grew up locally, in Tulsa, and was greatly influenced by the strong faith his parents displayed. They transferred him to a private Christian school during middle school, and Ensor credits this experience as a great encouragement to eventually becoming a teacher.
“I had to come to the end of my rope so many different times, but there was that guidance that I believe came from Him through other people, and sometimes I think there was empowerment that I felt from the Lord to get up and to keep going.”
“I think in a lot of ways you can draw a straight line from that to me still being in Christian education,” he said. “It was there that I didn’t even really have a foundation—my moral character was not what it should be—but I had a number of people that invested in me and took me under their wing.”
In high school, Ensor became a Christian. Today, he is using what he learned from these experiences, as well as how he grew in them, to glorify God in the classroom.
After attending Oral Roberts University for a year, Ensor realized that it was not going to work for him. He initially discovered OKWU through a radio ad and transferred. Pursuing Business at first, Ensor eventually decided to major in Biblical Studies. He threw himself into his OKWU experience by working at a church near the school and joining the soccer team, where he played alongside OKWU’s current Head Coach, Jamie Peterson.
Once Ensor graduated, he returned to the Christian school he had attended in middle school, this time as a teacher, and the experiences fueled his excitement for teaching.
“I fell in love with the classroom as the place of ministry for me,” he said. “It kind of became my parish. I thought that in that environment, I was able to be more of a formative influence and see more formative change.”
Ensor’s love of teaching continues to develop here at OKWU. Ensor and his wife, Savannah, have known each other since childhood, and they married once he was a few years out of college. Eventually, they moved to Kentucky so Ensor could earn his Master’s in Biblical Studies through Asbury Theological Seminary.
“I fell in love with the classroom as the place of ministry for me. It kind of became my parish. I thought that in that environment, I was able to be more of a formative influence and see more formative change.”
It was one of Ensor’s professors from Asbury who suggested that he pursue his doctorate, and even offered to work as the supervisor of his project. Ensor jumped on this opportunity and decided to work on his degree through the London School of Theology, which is connected to Asbury. During Ensor’s pursuit of his doctorate, he experienced a lot of pressure; however, God in His great mercy carried him through it.
“I did my Ph.D. primarily on 2 Corinthians, and there are these texts in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that say ‘His power is made perfect in weakness.’ That’s really what I’ve learned,” he said. “I had to come to the end of my rope so many different times, but there was that guidance that I believe came from Him through other people, and sometimes I think there was empowerment that I felt from the Lord to get up and to keep going.”
Above all, the most important aspect of Ensor’s life is his family. When he has free time, he likes to play games with his wife and two sons. “I try to stay active …but the really rich parts of my life are first and foremost those three people. I really like them,” he said.
OKWU is certainly thankful to have Dr. Ensor among its faculty here and celebrates with him in this achievement.
For more information on OKWU’s School of Ministry and Christian Thought, click here.
