We need to make the server more focused on the players. If the server is focused on what the staff wants to do, the players will slowly leave, and the server will fall deeper into the pit.
I personally think more people would come and stay on the server if the gameplay was more interactive and fun for the players, like Paradox said. One way to accommodate that is through events, like some people said.
Here's what I feel like most new players do. They join the server, and most like Pokemon, so they want to try the server out. They look around, and find out the rules. Then, they decide to adventure out and get a gym badge. They go up a McMMO level, and look at the mctop. They are shocked, and they immediately don't think it's possible to ever be as good as them. Some players might leave at this stage, but others may continue. So, let's say a few days pass and they finally find the Pewter leader. They fight, and lose horribly. Once again, some might leave the server, and some might stay. At that point we're just hoping that there's a few people that stick with the server so we can sustain a community.
tl;dr? We need a better focus on gameplay.