19-year-old Leeland Mooring (center) and the rest of his band are passionate about leading their generation into a relationship with God.

Leeland Mooring is the very model of a grounded youth raised and homeschooled in the Christian faith. In conversation, he quotes scripture effortlessly, talking passionately about his relationship with God with all the familiar Christian buzzwords ("communion with God," "intimacy with Christ," "on fire for the Lord"). Yet it's never forced for the 19-year-old—sharing his faith just comes naturally to this pastor's kid. His band Leeland appeals to a wide cross-section of teens and college students. A youth-group progeny himself, Mooring's only desire is to see his generation run counter to the ways of the world, a theme his band's new album, Opposite Way (Essential), deals with at length. The young singer, songwriter, and worship leader traces his band's quick rise to success while relating his own life experiences, including his recent marriage.

You've made a big buzz ever since you first popped on the Christian music scene a year-and-a-half ago. How have you managed to outlive the competition?

Leeland Mooring: We're amazed at how much God has helped us. We're just five guys from a small town in Texas. We're in a season right now where we're just hoping for the best, and we're excited to see what God has in store for us next.

What is it that you think sets you apart from other groups?

Mooring: I don't know. A lot of people and magazines have talked about us and said that they can really feel God in our shows.

How did you get started?

Mooring: Our band is pretty much doing what we did at our church four years ago. We originated as a band for our youth group. We didn't have a lot of [stuff], but we had a hunger to see God do something in our town. We would write worship songs and sing them, sometimes worshiping for hours. God just grew it. I guess he was always faithful to show up when we were playing, because we can't do anything else when he's not there. We just have to depend on God to do something when we play and touch people's lives [through our music]. I'm honored to be doing this ministry and it's really cool to be doing this for a living.

Some youth bands would say that worship music is not cool—they'd rather sing about their emotions than address God directly. Why are you the opposite?

Mooring: It's what we grew up around in the church all our lives. Though the new album, Opposite Way, has more message-oriented songs than the first album—it's not quite as corporate. Actually, there was a point when our band first started, before we were signed [to a record deal], where we were writing more rocky songs. They didn't have much meaning; just random rock songs talking about different issues. They were cool, and we had a lot of fun writing them and performing them at some local shows. But after we'd play them, people would say, "That was a cool show, man! Those songs are awesome!" That was it. Nobody really talked about feeling God or any sort of spiritual development after hearing those songs.

When did you realize that mere "rock music" was not your calling?

Mooring: We were practicing one of those songs once, and when we were done, we stood there looking at each other. Our drummer Mike said, "You know, when we first started, we were really more about worship. I felt more at home doing that." And it's like we were all waiting for someone to say that—"Yes, I've been feeling like that for the past few weeks too!" So we got really excited and quickly wrote two worship songs. I brought a few worship ideas I had, we worked up the songs, and just worshipped God. Our band has never strayed from worship since.

Suppose your career grew bigger. What if you had an opportunity to reach out to an entirely new audience? Would you shift back to straight rock from worship then?

Mooring: Not really, unless God speaks to us and tells us to do something different. Right now we just feel a call to the church. I feel it's a very crucial time in the world. We need a visitation of God in our country. There are a lot of other countries out there in Africa and Asia where the presence of God is so strongly felt. I want that [sense of revival] here in America. We want to see God's presence come and live in people's lives. That's what we're all about.

Leeland appeals to a broad cross-section of teens and college students (and adults too). What's the biggest obstacle for the younger generation of God today?

Mooring: Here in America, our generation can sometimes be self-centered. I think they're just trying to fill the void in their lives with different things. That's why you have shows like Heroes or videos about supernatural things or the occult—these things are increasing because people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. The kingdom of God is what they're really looking for. The Bible talks about how all creation longs for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed. They want to be a child of God. They want to be in intimacy with Jesus. When you're in the presence of God, I don't care who you are, that's where everyone feels home. That's how it was meant to be.

I think God has incredible things in store for our generation. There are a lot of people who go to church but who are living completely different lifestyles after Sunday. God said, "If you humble yourselves and pray" and "turn from your wicked ways." We need to pull away and focus on the Lord, and I think God will come. The churches, leaders of the churches, and everyone who is involved in ministry need to get on their faces and ask God to send his glory back to the churches, instead of becoming what the culture wants them to be.

So every kid has a yearning in their hearts for God, even those who don't care about him?

Mooring: Yes, definitely, even kids who have been living their lives denying God or denying Christ. I've seen videos of kids doing just that and it broke my heart; I went to my room crying before the Lord asking God to do something. I don't want to see our generation in a state like that. The reason some kids have come to the point of denying God is because they've had a bad experience with the church. I think a lot of times people have been hurt by church or have been preached at too much. It's really sad.

One major thing that is turning our generation away is religion. People don't want religion; they want a relationship with God. That's what we're trying to do with our music and our ministry: to inspire a hunger and to connect kids with God.

That's the perfect segue to talk about your new album, Opposite Way. Your intention is to run counter-culturally, though teenagers don't usually like to be pointed at or made fun of. So how do you inspire them to do so?

Mooring: I think when you get into the presence of God and a relationship with the Lord, there's a point where you really don't care anymore. You come to a point where you know the world is not the answer. God is the answer. When you literally live in the presence of God and you're so on fire for the Lord like you've never been before, you don't care if you look like a fool, or if people make fun of you, or if you lose relationships with friends because they don't want to be associated with a Christian.

Instead, you start pursuing God as much as you can. And you start praying for the people around you—that they'll be ministered to as well. Being popular and being accepted is not worth losing communion with God. Even the world's best offer isn't worth nearly as much as getting into heaven and hearing God say, "Come into my kingdom, my good and faithful servant." Hearing God say that is more priceless than anything the world would have to offer me.

Your passionate stance for Christ is admirable. Do you feel your outspokenness could backfire, especially if you're dealing with people who aren't used to being so in-your-face about matters of faith?

Mooring: Jesus made a lot of enemies when he founded his ministry. We don't go around preaching to people, telling them what they're doing wrong in their lives or that they're going to hell. Ultimately, we try to seek God in our relationships with him. In our ministry, we talk about God and how awesome his presence and his love are. Of course, there are people who aren't used to it. But the presence of God is universal—that's the one thing we strive after. We simply want the presence of God to come across in our ministry, for people to say, "This is what I've been looking for."

Switching gears, you got married last month. Since you're only 19, how did that come about?

Mooring: My parents met each other in church and got married when they were [young]—mom was 18, dad was 19. My wife Amanda and I met at church and remained friends for two years before dating for a year. Under the rule of my parents, everything had to be kept in check, to stay holy, and then we got married. It's been really awesome, really cool. I'm so excited.

You probably haven't been married long enough to speak on this, but what are some of the challenges of enjoying life with your wife, especially as you travel with the band?

Mooring: We're together. She's with me on the tour. We don't spend that much time apart. The main thing is to make sure we spend time with God and make God the center of the relationship. When you do that, everything's right. As long as the husband is treating the wife as God loves the church, and the wife is behind her husband, then everything works out.

What advice would you give to teens that are still finding who they are in the area of relationships?

Mooring: I grew up with this advice: don't date just to date. That'll just get you screwed up. Don't date just because you want a boyfriend or you want a girlfriend. Don't date just for that. Pursue God and seek God first in your life, and if you're going to date, date to marry. When you're ready to look for a wife or when you're ready to look for a husband to marry, date to marry. Don't date someone just for three months just to say you've had a relationship. Make sure you're ready for that before you start dating.

When did you know in your heart of hearts that you wanted to marry your wife?

Mooring: After about a year of dating, I just knew I was going to marry this girl. I only saw her in youth group settings and prayer meetings. We didn't hang out much outside of church. My parents were the pastors so I was involved in church a lot. And after knowing each other for two years, I got permission from my parents to date when I turned 18. Then I called her and asked her to be my girlfriend.

We would call each other, and we went on a few dates by ourselves and in group settings. And after a year of getting to know each other, I was so definite: "I'm ready to marry you. I don't want to wait anymore." My parents were cool with it. And I had a peace in my heart about it. I only wanted to do it if I had a peace about it from God that it was OK to marry my girlfriend.

For more about Leeland, click here to read our artist page for the band. Look for Opposite Way in stores February 26. You can visit Christianbook.com to listen to song clips and purchase the music.

Copyright © Andree Farias subject to licensing agreement with Christian Music Today. Click for reprint information.

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