American Missionary Kidnapped At Gunpoint During Church Service

An American serving as a missionary in South Africa was kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of men during a church service in Motherwell, just outside the city of Gqeberha, on Thursday.

Josh Sullivan, a Tennessee native, was preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church when four masked men armed with firearms stormed into the church, robbed people of their cell phones, and abducted the 45-year-old missionary, according to police, The Straits Times reported. Around 30 people were at the church service, including Sullivan’s wife and six children, when the kidnappers entered the building. No one else was harmed, and only Sullivan was taken captive.

The captors reportedly sped away with Sullivan in his silver Toyota Forerunner. The missionary’s vehicle was later found abandoned. The U.S. State Department told the BBC on Friday that it is aware of Sullivan’s kidnapping and added that there is no “greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.”

Reverend Jeremy Hall, who also pastors in the Gqeberha area, said the kidnapping was likely “financially related,” but there is some concern that Sullivan was targeted for his faith. The kidnappers reportedly knew Sullivan’s name when they entered the church, and Fellowship Baptist Church was the target of threats last year, according to human rights group International Christian Concern.

Sullivan and his family moved to South Africa in 2018 and planted Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell in 2021. The church is a sister church of Fellowship Baptist in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Sullivans were members before going to the mission field. In the Sullivans’ most recent prayer letter update, which was published on March 3, the missionaries said they had just visited fellow missionaries in Mozambique, adding that the “trip was a wonderful opportunity to see another African country and grow our burden for the African people.”

Kidnappings have spiked in South Africa over the past decade, jumping 264%, according to the BBC. In 2023-2024, there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in the country. Just two days before Sullivan was taken by armed men, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqeberha, according to police.

An American serving as a missionary in South Africa was kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of men during a church service in Motherwell, just outside the city of Gqeberha, on Thursday.

Josh Sullivan, a Tennessee native, was preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church when four masked men armed with firearms stormed into the church, robbed people of their cell phones, and abducted the 45-year-old missionary, according to police, The Straits Times reported. Around 30 people were at the church service, including Sullivan’s wife and six children, when the kidnappers entered the building. No one else was harmed, and only Sullivan was taken captive.

The captors reportedly sped away with Sullivan in his silver Toyota Forerunner. The missionary’s vehicle was later found abandoned. The U.S. State Department told the BBC on Friday that it is aware of Sullivan’s kidnapping and added that there is no “greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.”

Reverend Jeremy Hall, who also pastors in the Gqeberha area, said the kidnapping was likely “financially related,” but there is some concern that Sullivan was targeted for his faith. The kidnappers reportedly knew Sullivan’s name when they entered the church, and Fellowship Baptist Church was the target of threats last year, according to human rights group International Christian Concern.

Sullivan and his family moved to South Africa in 2018 and planted Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell in 2021. The church is a sister church of Fellowship Baptist in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Sullivans were members before going to the mission field. In the Sullivans’ most recent prayer letter update, which was published on March 3, the missionaries said they had just visited fellow missionaries in Mozambique, adding that the “trip was a wonderful opportunity to see another African country and grow our burden for the African people.”

Kidnappings have spiked in South Africa over the past decade, jumping 264%, according to the BBC. In 2023-2024, there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in the country. Just two days before Sullivan was taken by armed men, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqeberha, according to police.