Refreshing Mountain has doubled revenue over the last decade while maintaining a strong focus on guest relationships and retention. In this episode, Administrative Director Justin Harnish shares the principles that helped the camp grow without losing the culture that built its reputation.

Mark opens with a personal dedication to his mother’s 85th birthday and reflects on the people and experiences that shape camp leaders over time.

Carl’s quick marketing tip explains why camps should stop sending every audience to the same homepage and how dedicated landing pages can improve conversions and lead generation.

Justin then shares his personal camp story and how a formative camp experience shaped both his faith and belief in the long-term power of camp ministry.

The conversation explores the two “Christian marketing principles” guiding Refreshing Mountain’s growth strategy. “Relationships Trump Everything” focuses on intentional guest care and personalized communication. “Return Business Is Worth Investing In” covers stewardship, rebooking strategy, guest retention, and why long-term relationships drive sustainable growth.

Justin also shares lessons around guest feedback, occupancy planning, and how adding meeting room capacity became a major growth driver for year-round bookings.

Keywords

camp marketing, camp retention, rebooking strategy, retreat center growth, guest experience, Christian camp leadership, landing pages for camps

Sound Bites

• “Relationships trump everything.”
• “Return business is a metric of integrity.”
• “The camps growing fastest online make visitors instantly feel: ‘This is exactly for me.’”
• “Happy returning guests are your best marketing.”

Hosts

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Guest

Justin Harnish, Refreshing Mountain

Chapters

00:05 Welcome & Episode Dedication
02:38 Quick Camp Marketing Tip
08:40 Justin's Camp Story
09:29 The Power of Camp Experiences
11:57 Refreshing Mountain Background
14:51 Balancing Business and Ministry
15:57 Org Challenges During Season of Growth
22:52 Principles of Relationship-Driven Service
24:53 Understanding Rebooking and Customer Feedback
26:42 Enhancing Customer Experience Through Personalization
30:09 The Importance of Rebooking and Customer Relationships
37:13 Investing in Return Business
45:20 The Impact of Meeting Room Capacity on Revenue
45:57 Growth Partnership with Improve & Grow
48:22 Making Way for Innovation at Camp
53:22 Episode Debrief with Mark & Carl
59:42 Closing Message & New Website Features

Resources

Refreshing Mountain Christian Marketing Principles

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Hume New England launched with a bold mission: bring the Hume camp experience to the Northeast and expand gospel impact in a region with fewer large Christian camp ministries. But early years brought operational setbacks, financial pressure, staffing challenges, and a camp model that didn’t fit the realities of East Coast churches.

Before the interview, Mark shares a marketing tip about “riding the wave” instead of trying to create one. He explains how listening to church leaders led Hume New England to shorten camp sessions, lower pricing, and redesign programs around what churches and families actually needed—changes that ultimately helped fill more beds and increase ministry impact.

Brian Mount then shares what it was like stepping into Hume New England as COO during COVID and leading a turnaround effort that required operational changes, measurable marketing systems, and a willingness to challenge long-standing assumptions. The conversation explores adapting camp structures for smaller churches, embracing guest groups, improving follow-up and marketing accountability, and overcoming internal resistance to change.

The results were significant:

• Summer campers grew from roughly 620 to nearly 1,200
• Guest group revenue increased from about $500,000 to $1.4 million
• Camp seasons moved from empty beds to waitlists
• Staff morale and ministry momentum dramatically improved

Brian also shares encouragement for camp leaders navigating difficult seasons and explains why understanding your market may require rethinking long-held traditions without compromising mission.

Keywords

camp growth, Christian camp leadership, camp marketing, guest group strategy, summer camp enrollment, camp profitability, church partnerships, Hume New England, ministry growth, leadership development

Sound Bites

“Tradition is a tool. It’s not a trophy.”

“We were doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.”

“Every empty bed is a potential missed opportunity for someone to hear the gospel.”

“Start small and don’t be afraid to fail.”

Hosts

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Guest

Brian Mount, LifeShape International

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
00:56 Quick Camp Marketing Tip
04:19 Brian Mount Introduction & Camp Story
07:38 Leadership and Transformation at Hume
09:13 Early Days at Hume
15:51 Lessons Learned from Early Struggles
17:39 Personal Journey and Influences
19:09 The Decision to Partner for Growth
23:51 Strategic Changes and Marketing Innovations
29:36 Indicators of Positive Change
34:00 Achieving Profitability and Impact
40:06 Encouragement for Struggling Camp Leaders

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If this episode was helpful:

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• Share it with another camp leader who could benefit

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• Schedule a Chat with Mark >
• Schedule a Chat with Carl >

In this episode Mark opens with a tribute to one of his earliest camp mentors, Neil Fichthorn, the longtime executive director at Sandy Cove. Mark shares the leadership lessons Neil taught him — including the phrase that became foundational to this podcast: “You can’t minister to empty beds.”

Carl’s quick camp marketing tip focuses on why your Google Business Profile may be quietly costing you bookings. He explains how local search results work, why reviews and categories matter, and how small profile updates can improve visibility for camps and retreat centers.

The featured conversation is with Casey Fuerst, owner of Tic Tac Toe Marketing, who spent 18 years serving at a Lutheran camp in Nebraska before launching an agency focused on camps and nonprofits. Casey shares how camp shaped her personally and why she now helps camps communicate more clearly.

The conversation explores one of the biggest problems Casey sees on camp websites: cluttered messaging. Using her “hall closet” analogy, she explains why trying to communicate everything at once confuses parents and retreat guests instead of helping them take action. The episode also covers Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework and practical ways camps can simplify messaging, strengthen positioning, and improve marketing clarity.

Keywords

camp marketing, camp website design, StoryBrand for camps, camp messaging, Christian camp marketing

Sound Bites

• “If everybody thinks their stuff belongs on the front page of the website, it becomes the junk drawer.”
• “Clear is kind. Clever is not.”
• “Most organizations are communicating at an eight when customers only need a two.”

Hosts

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Guest

Casey Fuerst, Tic Tac Toe Marketing

Chapters

00:05 Introduction
02:11 Today's Topic: Messaging & Clarity
02:45 Quick Tip: Your Google Business Profile
10:19 Messaging and Brand Positioning
10:51 Meet Casey Fuerst
12:31 Casey's Camp Story
12:34 Personal Camp Stories and Experiences
13:37 The Impact of Camp Experiences on Young Adults
16:11 Marketing Insights for Camps
16:20 The Hall Closet Problem
19:28 The Importance of Clear Messaging
22:01 The StoryBrand Framework
22:11 The StoryBrand Framework in Action
25:14 Real-World Examples of Messaging Success
25:43 Finding Your One Message
28:14 Navigating New Audiences and Digital Marketing
28:56 Messaging Wins: Real Stories
31:14 Celebrating Podcast Milestones and Future Directions
38:56 Where Messaging Works Best
42:45 Reaching New Audiences
46:14 Wrap-Up & Celebrating Episode 10

Have a question you'd like us to cover?

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If this episode was helpful:

• Follow / subscribe to the podcast
• Share it with another camp leader who could benefit

Want Help Growing Your Camp?

• Schedule a Chat with Mark >
• Schedule a Chat with Carl >