Our Pastor

Rev. Dr. Demetrius S. Carolina, Sr., is widely recognized as a renowned spiritual leader who is a strong advocate for justice, human rights, and educational equity. He maintains a respected reputation as a man of conviction, consistently demonstrating shared leadership and a commitment to his congregations, the larger community, and issues affecting the global human community. Having a deep concern for issues that relate to spiritual empowerment, economic equity, educational development, and human rights, his work has taken him to several continents on behalf of these issues. He has built a school in Paynesville, Liberia, West Africa, and oversees five churches throughout the country.

Presently, Rev. Dr. Carolina serves as Executive Board Member of the largest federally qualified Healthcare center in the Borough of Staten Island, The Community Health Center of Richmond County (CHCR). He previously served on the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) as a Mayoral appointee until 2023. He also served on the NYC Water Board until 2020 and served in 2015 as a Human Rights Commissioner for five years. He formerly served on the Staten Island University Hospital Board of Directors for five years. Dr. Carolina is the recipient of various awards and recognitions. Some recent awards include the 2023 Albanian Cultural Center Humanitarian award, 2023 Jewish Community Center Leadership award, 2022 NYC Commission on Human Rights Trailblazer award, the 2021 City and State top 100 Staten Islanders award, the Staten Island District Attorney Community Leadership Award, the 2019 Louis R. Miller Leadership Award, and the 2017 New York City Council MLK Community Award and the Stapleton UME Dreamers award to name a few. He is the founder of The Staten Island Black History Town Hall Meeting and served as lead advocate in bringing the nationally recognized Eagle Academy to Staten Island. He is also the founder and organizer of the first and only Cure Violence Initiative on Staten Island, known as True 2 Life.

Additionally, he has grown the nonprofit community-based organization that he led to a multimillion-dollar operation with partnerships connecting Staten Island to the other five boroughs in a sustainable manner. As an educator and active proponent of higher education, Rev. Dr. Carolina has received numerous awards and certificates for outstanding service, leadership, merit, and scholastic excellence. He has served as an educator for over 25 years in the classroom and in administration. A few of his posts include Adjunct and Associate Professor of Applied Science, Health Education, Sociology, Cross-Cultural Diversity, Dean of Students, Advisor to the President, Upward Bound Counselor, and Student Advocate. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership/Management from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree in educational administration leadership from Temple University. His undergraduate work was completed at Stockton University and Camden County College. He also accomplished postgraduate work at New York University, CUTS Theological Seminary, Westminster Seminary Graduate Studies Program, and Philadelphia College of the Bible.

Rev. Dr. Carolina answered the call to the gospel ministry at age 16. His missionary work has been worldwide, and his preaching/teaching ministry has spanned the globe. He has successfully led 4 congregations and since 2005 Rev. Dr. Carolina has served as Senior Pastor of the First Central Baptist Church in Staten Island. He constantly contributes to the betterment of the Staten Island community by providing solid educational advocacy and economic development and facilitating bold community partnership initiatives, benefiting various community organizations.

Currently, he serves as President/CEO of Dior Consultants LLC, a New York City based WWBE certified full-service education and leadership strategy building company. Dior Consultants specialize in training educators, students, and for profit and non-profit community leaders from an innovative restorative justice approach. We emphasize the importance of conflict mediation, cultural competency, authentic student/participant engagement, peer mediation, meaningful parent engagement, and personal and social accountability.  In his role as Executive Director of the Central Family Life Center, he raised awareness of service needs in various under resourced communities. He has sought to offer a more significant collaborative response to the community through the Life Center. Rev. Dr. Carolina administered strategies to ensure the operation and sustainability of the Life Center and oversees a city-funded after-school program, a senior citizen program, prison recidivism, mental health support, youth recreation, and various other community enhancement projects. He grow both the annual budget by millions and the diversification of the workforce.

Rev. Dr. Carolina has co-authored several peer review research studies, in addition to the popular book “Let There Be Light, Creating a Life Worth Living.” Likewise, he is currently the president of “Clergy with a Purpose,” a citywide ecumenical clergy and citizen empowerment organization. Also, he is an adjunct professor at St. John’s University in the School of Education.

Rev. Dr.  Carolina is a member and an award recipient of the NAACP and has sat on numerous local and national boards. A few include MBD Community Housing Corporation and Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. He has been named among Staten Islanders Power 100 by City and State many years running and has been named among to top 100 Clergy in New York City since 2020. Rev. Dr. Carolina is married to the lovely Josenia Ruiz-Carolina and is the father of four wonderful children, Dior Isaiah, DeLisa Mona, Demetrius Solomon Carolina II, and Demetri Rafael Carolina.