LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention's
president says the denomination's vision for the future should
include more giving to worldwide missions and an increased effort
to attract minorities.

The Reverend Johnny Hunt, a pastor from Georgia, addressed
thousands of attendees Tuesday shortly after the opening of the
two-day convention in Louisville.

Hunt acknowledged during the 45-minute speech that membership in
the nation's largest Protestant denomination is shrinking. He says
Southern Baptists are aging and the denomination could lose half of
its 16 million members by 2050.

He urged members to engage ``our brothers in ethnicity.'' The
convention is expected to vote on a resolution to honor the
election of Barack Obama as the nation's first black president.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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