Meet John Tinnin, MDiv, MFT

John Tinnin is the Director of Crossing Counseling and co-creator of the With You in the Weeds podcast. John is originally from St. Louis, and has been serving as a pastor since graduating from seminary in 1989 with his Master of Divinity degree. After years of church planting in San Diego, John felt called to help people understand themselves at a deeper level and experience God’s love in a profound way. So in 2007 he left his church in California to pursue a second degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Reformed Theological Seminary. 

He now directs a professional counseling team, teaches Marriage and Parenting classes, hosts the WYITW podcast, and leads support groups, all while doing what he loves most: relating the love of Jesus to clients through the safety and trust of a therapeutic relationship. 

John has a great sense of humor, cares deeply for people, and is passionate about skillfully integrating sound psychological research with a deep understanding of the gospel. 

Here’s John in his own words:

“After college, I went to seminary and then pastored for about 20 years. I realized that I wanted to learn how to connect Jesus to deeper places in the hearts of those I served. So in my 40s as a husband and father of two, I returned to university to get my second master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. I’ve been at The Crossing for about eleven years, and I love it!” 

John has been called to The Crossing to counsel, oversee, and develop a broad range of care-based ministries. His experience as both a pastor and counselor as well as a background in radio production are an important part of the WYITW podcast!