Perhaps a reason that some people leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a lack of knowledge about what the church is and what purpose it serves. The church could be thought of as a preparatory organization. Yes it can provide the authoritative ordinances of the Gospel but it cannot control the Holy Spirit of Promise. Yes is can provide opportunities to selflessly serve our fellow man but it cannot make us pure in heart or sanctify us. The Church can give us milk as we stumble as babes however there comes a time when we must grow up and walk. The Church wasn’t meant to carry us the whole way without any effort on our part, thus many are called but few are chosen.
We need to seek ourselves after righteousness and not view our membership in any earthly organization as the end goal and we must not trust in the arm of flesh because the arm of flesh is fallible. Yes presidents of the LDS church have made mistakes and yes they are human. Yes presidents of the church have introduced commandments of men and have established a culture that we sometimes mistake for doctrine. Yes as one reads the true history of the Church you WILL find things that are bothersome but not only because of the mistakes of fallible leaders but also of the actions of those who covered up and tried to hide these actions and teachings. This, however does not have to lead to a crisis of faith. If we build our foundation upon Christ and seek to have the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit with us by our faith, hope, diligence, charity, humility, repentance, etc. we will see no need to reject the beautiful perfect gospel of Christ because of the imperfections of others in a church, nor will we see a reason to leave the church.
Joseph Smith died a true prophet of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is a true record of an ancient civilization and another witness for Christ. We live in a beautiful time in the history of the world, even this last dispensation of the fullness of times when the priesthood is on the earth once more.
Membership in the LDS Church is just the very beginning of our upward climb that we each need to individually make. It is a difficult journey that exacts a price but to the truly converted, the yoke is easy and burden light because they are not yoked to a church or to any man but to The Holy One of Israel himself.