My daughter is the children's director at their church, a very small congregation, and she is forever emailing me about this same problem and "picking my brain" (as she calls it) whenever we're together. For over 30 years I was extremely involved in all aspects of children's ministry in the church we previously attended. My grown children have wonderful memories of Vacation Bible School, children's musicals, junior and tot's church, AWANA, and all kinds of wonderful children's activities. I'll tell you exactly the same thing I told her. The reason you have no parents with children at your church is because the people in leadership don't think of children as a vitally important part of the Lord's kingdom today or in the future. I sat in countless Christian Ed board meetings and Deacon/Deaconness meetings where we discussed how the first thing that prospective new members look at when visiting a new church for the first time is their children's ministries, programs, and activities. Our children's wing hallway had brightly painted walls with Bible characters, a large ark, a gorgeous rainbow, etc. All that took was the cost of some paint and some volunteers on a couple of Saturday afternoons. I could fill this post with the incredible, fun activities we did with our kids that encouraged their parents to bring them to church, made their children beg to come, and built a strong spiritual foundation in the hearts and minds of the young people. As one of the busy involved adults, I also had a great time serving in this important ministry. Last week my daughter, battling her issues with anxiety, attended a church meeting where she surprised everyone by giving a speech about the importance of children in the Lord's kingdom, how that church did nothing but babysit, the lack of commitment among the children's volunteers, etc. By the time she was through she had a willing army of volunteers, funds for her ideas, and important staff to come along side her to help get things started.
The first thing you need is for the entire church - starting with the pastor - to change how they view God's youngest members of His kingdom. You will never become a thriving GROWING fellowship without them. If you'd ever like to talk more about this, message me. Children's ministries - from one-on-one witnessing, to teaching, to creating games and activities, to designing and creating scenery for children's musicals, to writing curriculum, to baking cookies was my "thing" until chronic pain overtook my life. Now I spend a lot of quality, fun time with grandkids teaching them God's Word in "creative" ways.