...I know several of the regular contributors weren't there (e.g. Kanakuk camps/ Joe White) which might have had an impact...
He was on the schedule for Sunday morning.
You're right, my mistake. I've a good friend in town who works with Joe who is always out there with him, and who made a post that he was missing it this year, so i figured Joe wasn't there either. I was wrong on that.
I talked to a few of my "church friends" and youth leaders, and several said that there just wasn't a lot of interest this year. I think it really came down to it feeling, for some of them or the kids at least, like it was the same old, same old, with nothing "new" or a big name to draw them. There wasn't an artist/ group this year that would be more than middle of the show at best with Winterjam, not like in the past when they've had Skillet, Lauren Daigle or some of the others.
So at this point that would be my best guest- an uninspiring lineup and a desire for something new.