Signing with Virgin Records has brought a lot of change into the lives of the six members that make up the Newsboys, one of Christian rock’s finest pop-rock acts. Bigger crowds, bigger record sales, more radio and TV appearances, and of course — crazier fans.

“I don’t understand crowd surfing,” Newsboys percussionist Duncan Phillips said from his home in Nashville, Tenn. “I don’t shun it — it just feels unmusical to me.”

Phillips was quick to point out that the majority of Newsboys fans are really intelligent and described them as “one of the coolest crowds.” “When they’re clapping and I can look down and tell they got the message — I applaud them.”

The Newsboys are made up of founding members Phillips, drummer Peter Furler, vocalist John James and guitarist Jody Davis. The band’s latest tour introduces new members bassist/vocalist Phil Joel and keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein.

In conjunction with the Newsboys’ first year with Virgin, the band released its sixth record to date, Take Me To Your Leader. The Newsboys began turning heads when Leader became the second-best selling rock album for Virgin in 1996, behind the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

At the turn of the year the band launched its largest tour ever and has sold out venues everywhere from the famed Roxy club in Los Angeles to The Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“I have noticed a lot more people hearing of us,” Phillips said about signing with a major label. “We’ve been going to a lot more radio stations that are not necessarily Christian stations. We get to play with a lot of bands we wouldn’t normally get to play with.”

Phillips listed several acts including Jewel, Gin Blossoms, Moby and Tony Bennett. “It’s good to get out and see what else is going on,” he said.

Although the Newsboys’ fan base has increased, Phillips said the band’s impact on listeners has not changed. “Christianity is not something you can be talked into,” he said. “We’ve always been connected with the church and youth and we talk about God a lot, but there’s nothing more we can do.”

Phillips said God has always been the most important thing for the Newsboys and that the band’s message does not cater toward a certain denomination.

“It’s a weird gig for us,” he explained. “We’re not trying to please anyone, we just let the chips fall and see where they land. We’ve tried to please certain segments and it doesn’t work. It’s not like you can look out in the crowd and tell who’s a Christian.”

With over $1 million in staging and lighting and two strong opening acts, Plankeye and Third Day, Newsboys’ “Take Me To Your Leader Tour” has been dubbed one of the largest Christian productions ever.

“[The tour] has gone beyond our expectations,” Phillips said. “Commercially, it is the best show we have ever done. The band is feeling really well about our sound. There’s not a lot of weak spots in the set.”

Phillips explained how some nights on the tour have felt “electric.”

“It happens maybe one out of ten shows. I think it has something to do with the crowd, everything just seems to lock in.”

With six records of material, the Newsboys have plenty of songs to tour behind, including the Christian rock anthem “Shine.” According to Phillips, the band starts its tour off with three or four extra songs and after about 15 shows, band members “start to get the show to feel right,” and drop a few.

“It’s a little harder to change the set on a tour like this,” Phillips explained. “It’s not like a four-piece band with one guy mixing. Eighty guys have to know the set.”

Phillips named “Let It Go” and “Lost A Plot” as his favorite songs to play. “I don’t know if ‘Let It Go’ is my favorite, but I really like it lyrically. ‘Lost A Plot’ took about 10 years to write — it’s been in the back catalog of my mind for quite a while. It felt good to get that one off the back burner.”

Phillips said the Newsboys learned the hard way that live shows and the recording process are separate entities. He said the band’s first two records were too much of a combination.

“Now we make the record first and do a live show around the record,” he said. “To this day we have yet to make a record as good as the live show.”

The Newsboys have played over 200 dates a year since 1990 and have not let up the pace. The band plays at Stephens Auditorium Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available for $18.50 and $15.50 at all Ticketmaster outlets.