1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
You will always have people leave in every church. It matters not how good of a leader the pastor is; there will always be people who leave because they were never of us. In other words, there will always be people who never decided that this is the church in which I will die no matter what happens. I am not at all pushing that you stay in a church that compromises, but I am saying that you need to bury your heart in your church and decide that this is your church no matter what happens.
One of the mistakes that can be made by both the pastor and the people is that we get focused on those who went out from us. When I was a younger preacher, I made the mistake of preaching to the crowd that seemed to care less about what I was saying instead of preaching to help the crowd that came to be helped. There came a time when the Holy Spirit reminded me that I was robbing those who came to be helped of truths that could help them because I was focused on the crowd that was against me. The same can happen in a church that has had some people leave; we can get focused on those who have left so much that we don't help the crowd who has stayed. Let me share some things you can do to keep focused on the right crowd.
First, be thankful for those who are with you. The fact that people have stayed should cause you to be grateful that they are there. You will drive yourself to despondency and negativity if you focus on those who have left instead of rejoicing over those who have stayed. The fact is, there are likely more who have stayed than those who have left; be thankful you have people who have stayed.
Second, the crowd that has stayed has needs that you can help if you will focus on them. Be careful about focusing on the wrong crowd and going after them when they are not there. You have people who have needs to make it through this week, and if you don't try to help them, you may end up losing them because you are so bent on being against the crowd that has left. Here is a novel idea: help those who need help instead of focusing on those who left because they were never of us.
Third, the crowd that stays won’t always do right, but they are still with you. It is critical that you don't beat up the crowd that has stayed with you because they are still growing in the LORD. Be happy that you have someone to help because they chose to be with you. The fact that they have stayed means they still want your help. The best thing you can do is help those who want help instead of going after those who were never of us.
Fourth, determine you will continue where you are and don't let those who were not of us influence you. When those who were not of us leave, don't spend time with them and let their filthy doctrine and spirit influence you. You cannot spend time with them and it not influence you. So, spend your time with those who are of us instead of spending it with those who are not of us and those who are not of us will never influence you and your spirit. Spending time with those and helping those who decide to stay is what will help you rebuild what you lost.