Hey i was thinking about how this server could easily function with a lot more active players and one way i think we could encourage recruitment would be by having a reward system for inviting new players to the server.
The new player could say who invited them, and once that new player proves themselves to be an active part of the server by maybe ranking up/voting/white listing/etc. then the person who invited them can be rewarded for it, it doesn't have to be a huge reward of course but this might bring more active players to the game since people will generally invite their friends to play, and there is a better chance of someone staying if they have a real life friend on the server.