PASTOR

Rev. Dave Dorst is the Senior Pastor of CenterPoint Church. He began his ministry here in the heart of Smyrna, DE in March of 2020.  He is originally from Pittsburgh, but has lived in Texas, Florida, and Virginia.  Dave met his wife, Kathy, at Baylor University.

Dave and Kathy were married in 1996, and after doing youth ministry at two churches in Florida, they moved up to Leesburg, VA in 2002.  They served for 18 years at Potomac Hills Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, where Dave got experience working in most areas of church ministry.  He graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in 2009, and was ordained in 2010.  He is excited to be a Senior Pastor now, and thrilled to be at CenterPoint Church.

Kathy is a stay-at-home mom who loves to spend time with her family and friends, and is a wonderful host.  Miles, their oldest, loves all things music, and graduated with a music business degree from Grove City College.  Wesley also graduated from Grove City with an English major and Business minor, and loves to run and write. Alayna started at Grove City in 2023 and is on their volleyball team after playing multiple sports in high school. Natalie is at Middletown High School, and loves volleyball and tennis.  Dave and his family have many hobbies outside of ministry including music, playing and watching sports, traveling, board and card games, and reading.

Leadership

Elders

Phil Niceforo is a Ruling Elder as well as the Pastoral Intern at CenterPoint Church.  He graduated from Knox Theological Seminary in Florida in 2024 and has preached many times at CP.  His wife, Katie, and their children, Isabella, Philip III, and Elena have been part of the church since 2016 and live in Smyrna, DE.  Phil is originally from Pen Argyl, PA, got his undergrad degree from Liberty University, and currently works at Colonial Metals.

Phil Leonardi was installed as a ruling elder in May 2022. He and his wife, Katelyn, have been members at CenterPoint for several years and run the youth group together. Phil graduated from the University of Delaware in 2011 and works in the produce business. Katelyn is a librarian at UD. Phil and Katelyn love to travel, spend quality time with family and friends, and hang out with their dogs.

Behn Trader and his wife, Megan, and four sons (Graham, Patrick, Samuel, and Nathanael) have attended CenterPoint since 2018 and became members shortly thereafter. Behn became a ruling elder in May 2022. He graduated from UD in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, and from the University of North Texas in 2012 with a Master of Science in Library Science (MLS). Behn and family enjoy running their farmette in Townsend, DE, and have a heart for Orphan Care.

Deacons

John Pennington, Sr. (“Pop”) has been an ordained Deacon at CenterPoint Church since 2016 and handles all of the church's mercy ministry needs.  Originally from Wallingford, PA, John is a graduate of Grove City College (Class of '70), and worked for over 30 years with the Delaware Department of Corrections and over a decade as a substitute teacher in Kent County schools. John is very proud of his 14 grandkids and 3 great-grandkids, whether or not they are blood-related.

Counseling Intern

VOLUNTEER STAFF