ROSEVILLE, Mich. (BP) — Tim Steele feels at home in front of people. He knows about the subtleties of communication such as timing, knowing your audience and being aware of your surroundings.
Those qualities have benefitted him from stages both as a comedian and pastor. From one, the audience is expecting him to make them laugh. The other comes with a much heavier weight because eternity hangs in the balance. Humor is important in both, Steele has learned.
“I grew up watching Johnny Carson and always wanted to try my hand at comedy,” said Steele, a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of Cross Waves Church in Roseville, Mich. “So, I decided to take a class.”
So, 11 years ago Steele contacted Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, Mich., another suburb north of Detroit. The comedy club is nationally known, primarily for establishing the opener/feature/headliner format.
Steele inquired about a class but ran into the issue of a there being a lot of dirty comics in the business. He asked how many it would take to get a separate class.
“We needed eight and I was able to find that many, so the nine of us – all Southern Baptist pastors – were taught by a guy who was considered very crass but came to respect us,” Steele said.
“He realized that we didn’t have two personas – one behind the pulpit and another outside of it. We were the same people in both places. It got to where he wouldn’t do his material in front of us.”
That began eight weeks of two-hour sessions. Graduation was producing a six-minute set in front of a crowd made up mostly of members from the nine represented churches.
Steele, given the nod as “headliner” for the evening, was given eight minutes on the stage.
“It was made up of people all rooting for us,” he said. “It got pretty competitive, as the crowd wanted their pastor to get the biggest applause. That got pretty funny.”
The practice sessions and graduation showcased a valuable lesson for the pastors.
“Preachers are notorious for taking too long to get to the point,” Steele said. “One of the things our teacher worked with us on was that you have to get to the punchline.
“This was really hard on us as preachers. He taught us to tell just enough of the story. One of the things you learn in comedy is tell a joke, then take a word out. The next time try it again and if it still works, take out another word. Keep taking out a word until it doesn’t work, then add back in the last word.
“That’s to get to the punchline quicker, but hopefully translates into our storytelling in the pulpit.”
Since then, Steele has continued to work on his comedy at various functions where a clean comic is expected.
“Comedy is the only thing where a guy can talk for an hour with just a microphone and you want him to keep talking,” he said. “When people ask me about my influences in preaching, I tell them comics.
“When I preach, I tend to walk around and not stay behind the pulpit. I want to look at people and not things I have in front of me. I’ve done that for years.”
Steele’s observations on life, marriage and other areas can be seen on his just-released special “Trophy Husband” on Dry Bar Comedy. Although a paid subscription, the promo code TIMSTEELE brings the first month free.
“When I got married, I was a studmuffin,” says Steele on the show. “Now I’m just a muffin.”
Continuing that line, he comments on the word “jolly” and how it’s associated with “heavier” people.
“You never look at a skinny guy and go, ‘There’s a jolly fella,’” he said. “There is a word we use for skinny people. … It is called ‘hungry.’”
Dry Bar is the home for clean comics, Steele said. “They’ve been awesome to me. If churches are going to bring you in, they’ll ask if you’ve done Dry Bar.”
For someone who spends a lot of time telling jokes, you won’t find that in Steele’s sermons.
“I don’t tell jokes from the pulpit,” he said. “I may make a humorous observation. You know how pastors say they don’t want anyone sad at their funeral? Not me. I want people sad that I’m dead. I told my wife I want her to hire professional wailers.”
His path as a comedian hasn’t come without bumps. For an appearance on Mike Huckabee’s show, Steele had prepared for an eight-minute set. Moments before going onstage, though, he was told it needed to be shaved to six minutes. He ended up wrapping his set with two seconds to spare.
Steele also has stories about jokes bombing with certain crowds. A joke that one audience loves may not go over in another setting.
“I tell preachers that you have to know your audience,” he said. “Know who you’re talking to.”
Related posts:
Committee on Committees report released 
Churches helping students thrive as COVID-19 delays school reopenings 
SBC DIGEST: Litton to address UM graduation; Ohio Baptists to sell Seneca Lake facility 
North Carolina pastor arrested on sexual exploitation charges 
‘Jersey’ impacts Ohio & the world 
CP 1.39% ahead of year-to-date projection 
Charles Stanley, pivotal SBC president, TV preacher, dies 4 entity heads address messenger questions
