An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men after they stormed his church service in South Africa, local authorities say. Josh Sullivan had been conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when "four armed and masked male suspects entered," police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge told the BBC. The men stole two phones before fleeing the church in the 45-year-old pastor's silver Toyota Fortuner. Police later found the vehicle abandoned, but there was no trace of Mr. Sullivan.
A spokesperson from the US State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of a US citizen in South Africa. They said there was no "greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad." Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organized and commercial crimes and high-level corruption. "The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators," said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Fumba.
Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family's spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place. "They knew his name," he said. Mr. Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the news. She added: "Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him." No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24.
Mr. Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website. On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people. Over the past decade, there has been a 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police statistics. Just a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqeberha.
Pastor Josh Sullivan was abducted on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell outside the coastal city of Gqeberha in what appeared to be a kidnapping for ransom, a colleague told AFP. Kidnappings, including by criminal gangs that target people for whom large ransoms can be demanded, have been increasing in South Africa in recent years. "It is alleged that while a sermon was conducted at the church, four armed and masked male suspects entered the church," police said in a statement. "They robbed two cell phones and then took the 45-year-old male pastor with them and fled the scene."
A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of an American citizen in South Africa. Rev. Jeremy Hall, a pastor also based in the southeastern city, told AFP the abduction was probably "financially related." Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said protocol dictated that once a ransom was demanded, the case would be handed over to the Hawks - a specialized police unit that investigates organized crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crimes.
As the investigation continues, the Sullivan family remains hopeful. Sullivan was holding a prayer meeting with about 30 people, including his wife and six children, when the armed kidnappers entered. "They knew him by name," Hall said. They took him at gunpoint and forced him into his car and drove off. The abandoned car was recovered about a mile from the church.
Sullivan arrived in South Africa with his family from Tennessee in November 2018, according to his personal website. "We are looking to finish language school soon and plant a church to the Xhosa-speaking people," he writes on his site. Sullivan has been on the staff at Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, since February of 2012, according to the website. "Please pray for Josh Sullivan, missionary to South Africa," the church wrote on its Facebook page.
As they await Sullivan's safe return, supporters flocked to the pastor's personal blog site and other social media platforms to offer their well-wishes. "We are now praying that you are delivered from these evil men," a poster named Richard Stockton said on the church website. "Praying the Holy Spirit will work on their hearts and be saved. And release you!!!" Another supporter called Kody Moore said Josh was a "faithful brother doing much to make Christ known in Africa." "Please pray for Josh to be brought home safely and especially his family during this absolutely terrible time. May Christ be magnified," he tweeted on X.
The police anti-gang unit said a Chinese national was also kidnapped Tuesday in the city, which is on the Indian Ocean and about 570 miles southeast of Johannesburg. There were more than 17,000 kidnappings in South Africa in the 2023-2024 financial year, an 11-percent increase over the previous year, according to police statistics. South Africa has also been plagued by escalating gun violence. Each day, 33 people are killed by guns in South Africa, according to Gun Free South Africa, a nonprofit advocating for reduced gun violence.
Retired FBI agent and hostage negotiator Jason Pack talked to Fox News Digital about the kidnapping of a Tennessee pastor in South Africa this week. There should be "no rush" in negotiations after a Tennessee pastor was kidnapped while preaching at a church in South Africa, Pack told Fox News Digital. "There’s no rush into this," he said. "Calming things down, slowing things down and just having that dialogue and listening to see what [the hostage takers] want is really the key here." He said he’s sure the U.S. authorities are in close contact with the South African authorities, who are leading the investigation, adding that along with the U.S. embassy there, the FBI also has a legal attaché office there that will be involved.
Pack explained, "Negotiators want to buy time and slow things down. Generally speaking, when an incident like this happens, there's a lot of adrenaline pumping, a lot of risk for violence. So generally, at the time when these incidents happen, that's the highest risk for violence. So now there's time, hopefully there's an open line of communication and there's opportunity to make this end safely for everybody." Pack emphasized that the main goal now, both from the South African government and from the U.S. government, is the safe return of Pastor Sullivan to his family and his loved ones without anyone getting hurt.
As the investigation unfolds, the community in Tennessee and South Africa is rallying around the Sullivan family, praying for their safe return. David Witt, Sullivan’s father-in-law, urged people to pray for his son-in-law's safe return, stating, "We’re in a very tense situation right now." The family has reportedly received proof that Pastor Sullivan is alive, and negotiators are currently in contact with the kidnappers, who are demanding a ransom. "We want to thank the community for all of the love and prayers," Witt said. "We’re talking thousands of people who have reached out to us."
