When music artists finally reach the top of the charts, many accredit it to their talent. Such is not the case for Christian rockers Casting Crowns.

“It’s not us or a song, it’s God,” bassist Chris Huffman said.

When the members of the band – a seven-piece group that originated from Atlanta – perform a concert, they have a front row seat to watch people worship. Huffman said he’s never before seen people worship like he has at their concerts. He said all they can do is stand back in amazement and watch God’s message spread to their fans.

“People are falling on their face, worshipping the Lord. We love to touch people’s lives,” he said.

Huffman said his favorite part of the tour is the fans, and that the band absolutely loves meeting people and hearing their testimonies or how God has touched them.

Besides worshipping through song, Casting Crowns tries to provide ways for youth ministers to start youth programs and help them grow, even when there is little financial support available. The empathy may come from the band’s background, including lead vocalist/songwriter Mark Hall’s work as a youth pastor in his church for the past 15 years.

Huffman said the songs that the band performs have been mostly written from Hall’s experiences as a youth minister from when he was in college until now. He said the band tries to appeal to people of all ages, but focuses on teenagers and youth pastors, especially those in smaller churches. Members like to speak to people who are just learning about God, he said.

“Mark [Hall] has a heart for sharing with youth pastors how to make your youth group explode, not in size, just in heart and in maturity in your walk with Christ,” Huffman said. “I have always had a heart to pour in to somebody’s life who is just learning about things they can take with them for the rest of their life, things that are eternal.”

Hall sums up the band’s music in a press release for the tour.

“These are everyday teenagers living in the real world. Their parents are fighting or their boyfriend or girlfriend just broke up with them and they’re failing math. We come home every week to people who desperately need a relationship with Jesus. This is the ministry that God has called us to,” according to the release. “You’ve got to earn the right to talk to them about their lives. They want to know that you struggle too, before you start getting in their business. So it’s not about art or music. The music is not the point. Music is just a way of sharing the awesome love of God.”

Many fans at Iowa State are personally touched, as well. Kate Ammerman, freshman in health and human performance, said she loves the Christian message that is provided for all the listeners.

“They have songs that are so easy to listen to and really encourage me in my daily walk of faith,” she said.

The name “Casting Crowns” was inspired by Chris Tomlin’s song,”We Fall Down,” and the Scripture Revelations 4:11.

Huffman said the story is about a group of 24 elders who lay their crowns down before God. The band members also felt like they wanted to cast down their crowns in front of the Lord and feel as though the name is symbolic.

“If we ever got too many compliments about playing the guitar well, and things started going to our heads, we would take it and place it right back at Jesus’ feet,” Huffman said.

One of the main goals of the group is to encourage believers to stay strong in the Lord; to be themselves and open to God’s message.

“Don’t try to put on a mask when you’re in church. Just be who you are, be open in your weaknesses and don’t judge others who have different weaknesses from your own,” he said.

Casting Crowns is performing at Iowa State with speaker Tony Nolan and singers Josh Bates and Nichole Nordeman as part of its 2006 “Lifesong” tour.

Nolan’s passion is well known among members of the tour. Before each show, no matter where the band is performing, Nolan leads a prayer session after the sound check. He is the tour’s official pastor.

“Caffeine in human form – that would be Tony Nolan,” Huffman said. “He has such a passionate heart for sharing the Gospel.”

Even though the group has received countless awards, including a Grammy Award for best Gospel pop album, Casting Crowns didn’t follow the traditional route to fame. Although it didn’t send any demo tapes to record labels, the group was approached anyway by Mark Miller from label Sawyer Brown. All the members got started with music in their respective churches, and were so dedicated to the youth in the churches that being able to continue their ministry was one of the requirements for them to tour.

“Our first question to him was, ‘Can we still be in our church and do our youth ministry?,'” Huffman said.

Much to their surprise, Miller agreed, but told the group that their congregation might be a little bigger than they planned.

Though they hope to continue their ministry in the coming years, the group said they leave it totally to God.

“We’ll be here till God wants us to be somewhere else,” Huffman said.

The band said it is just out there to give people the truth.

Huffman said he realizes that many Christian bands shy away from the church about two years into their careers and shift into more mainstream music. He said, however, Casting Crowns doesn’t plan on it.

“We always get told by people that they don’t know what we’re doing, but that we should keep doing it,” he said.

With so much success in only three-and-a-half years of professional touring, the group has already toured most of the major US cities and plans to go to Africa in July and, tentatively, Singapore in December.

“We’re ready to focus on a more global level,” said Huffman.

Katharine Collins, sophomore in political science, said she is looking forward to the concert and said she likes Casting Crowns because she can relate to its music.

“‘Lifesong’ was the first CD I bought after becoming a Christian. The songs really hit me, and I could see a lot of what they sang in my own life,” she said.