From courtrooms to classrooms: Martin Jones’ journey to NGU
Treasure Hardwick, Staff Writer
From attorney to pastor to educator, Martin Jones, associate dean of NGU’s business program, has played many roles in his life. Whether he’s navigating a courtroom, shepherding a church or mentoring college students, Jones’ mission remains the same — to help others understand, grow and lead.
Jones grew up in a very small village near Manchester, England. When he attended the University of Central Lancashire, he began to develop a serious interest in faith. He became a Christian in college and began attending church. After university, he went to Lancashire Law School and stepped into a career of legal profession.
It was at church where he met his wife. They grew up in the same small village but never actually crossed paths. When they met, Jones knew she was the woman he was going to marry. After a couple of months of Jones constantly pursuing her, and a couple more of dating, the couple married.
Jones practiced law for eight years in England, where he dealt with everyday families or small entrepreneurs that needed legal advice. However, about eight years in, he realized that an opportunity to teach was opening back at the law school he had attended.
He taught for three years before he began to feel God impressing on his heart that there was something more for him than teaching law. He explained that changing careers and moving was one of the hardest things he had to do, but it was lifechanging.
“We decided we are selling everything and we’re moving to the other side of the world. We’re moving 5,000 miles away. So, some people understood that, and some people didn’t, but we were absolutely convinced that God wanted us to do it,” said Jones.
After much prayer, Jones and his wife took a leap of faith and moved to Dallas, Texas. Jones began pursuing a Master of Divinity at Dallas Theological Seminary.
After receiving his Master of Divinity, Jones, wife and three children began moving around. He ministered to different churches in Dallas, Chicago and eventually they settled in Asheville. He said that his time as a pastor was formative and taught him that church and everyday life should not be separated.
However, he realized that pastoring is not the same as teaching. This led him to explore teaching opportunities in the area.
His search for a teaching job led him to NGU in 2019. He taught as an adjunct and helped navigate the ups and downs of online school during Covid. He climbed the ladder from an assistant to an associate professor, to the chair of accounting and business, and as of 2024, he is the associate dean of business.
Jones explained that his time teaching at NGU has been inspiring. He primarily teaches business law and ethics.
His main goal as a professor is to help his students learn how to think critically, rather than just to remember material.
Jones said, “In the classroom, you’re not simply bringing a solution to a problem; you’re equipping the next generation of leaders to be the problem solvers.”
One of his favorite things of teaching is hearing former students list the concepts they remember from Jones’ class. He also loves watching student’s eyes light up when they understand a concept that they have been grappling with.
Aside from wanting his students to know that he is their mentor and friend, Jones also wants them to know that he is an everyday guy. He loves Disney, especially “Inside Out” because it shows people that emotions are real and should be dealt with. He also loves Marvel movies and James Bond.
He wants students to know that although he has a prominent British accent and still uses phrases such as “trolley” or “petrol,” he defies many British stereotypes. Particularly, he hates tea and refuses to drink it. Instead, he drinks a cup of coffee every day.
In his free time, he likes to take his RV and motorcycle and travel to the Outer Banks with his wife. He also loves to travel to Florida to go to Disney World.
In the next couple of years, Jones will continue to better his teaching style and understanding of law, as well as work on NGU’s online business program.
As of right now, the online business program has around 40 students. The curriculum consists of a mix of old and new classes, all which Jones and other faculty are working to improve. He is working to develop digital skills and increasing students’ engagement for those in the program.
