U S Pastor Abducted During Church Sermon In South Africa

U S Pastor Abducted During Church Sermon In South Africa

A U.S. missionary, Pastor Josh Sullivan, was abducted by armed men while delivering a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near the coastal city of Gqeberha, South Africa. The incident, which took place on Thursday evening, is suspected to be a ransom-motivated kidnapping, according to local authorities and a fellow pastor.

South African police reported that four masked and armed assailants stormed the church during the service, seized two mobile phones, and forcibly took the 45-year-old pastor at gunpoint before fleeing the scene. The pastor’s vehicle, which was used in the abduction, was later found abandoned approximately 1.5 kilometers from the church….READ MORE…

Reverend Jeremy Hall, a fellow clergyman based in the region, confirmed that Pastor Sullivan was hosting a prayer meeting attended by around 30 congregants, including his wife and six children, at the time of the attack. Hall indicated that the assailants appeared to have prior knowledge of their target, noting that they addressed Sullivan by name during the abduction.

Pastor Sullivan, originally from Tennessee, relocated to South Africa with his family in November 2018, according to his personal website.

Authorities believe the kidnapping may be financially motivated, a growing trend in South Africa where abductions for ransom by organized criminal groups have been on the rise. Police statistics reveal that over 17,000 kidnapping cases were reported in the 2023/2024 financial year—an 11% increase from the previous year.

In a related development, police confirmed that a Chinese national was also kidnapped earlier in the week in the same city, highlighting a broader security challenge in the region. The Anti-Gang Unit has launched an investigation into the incident, while efforts to locate Pastor Sullivan are ongoing.