Armed men storm South African church during sermon to kidnap American pastor in front of his wife and children, officials say

Armed men stormed into a church in South Africa last week and kidnapped an American pastor from Tennessee, according to authorities.

Late Thursday, 34-year-old pastor Josh Sullivan was giving a sermon for about 30 people — including his wife, Meagan, and their six children — at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township near the seaport city of Gqeberha in the country's Eastern Cape province.

'We’re in a really tense situation right now.'

Suddenly, four armed men stormed into the church and kidnapped the pastor in the middle of his sermon.

"It is alleged that while a sermon was conducted at the church, four armed and masked male suspects entered the church," police told CBS News.

Jeremy Hall, spokesman for the Sullivan family, told local newspaper TimesLive that the kidnappers "knew his name."

"The men came into the church and initially held Meagan and walked her toward the door before saying, ‘Josh, is this your wife?’ They then pushed her to the ground and took Josh before driving off in his vehicle," Hall said.

The kidnappers also allegedly stole two cell phones from people in the congregation.

The armed kidnappers reportedly took Sullivan at gunpoint, forced him into his car, and drove off. The car was abandoned about a mile from the church.

A U.S. Department of State spokesperson told the BBC that the agency is aware of the kidnapping of an American citizen in South Africa.

The spokesperson said there was no "greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad."

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said, "As I understand, there has been no ransom raised."

Beetge noted that if 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.

Hawks spokesman Lieut. Col. Avele Fumba stated, "The police are currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators."

Since February 2012, Sullivan has been on the staff at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

"Please pray for Josh Sullivan, missionary to South Africa," the church said in a statement.

Sullivan and his family arrived in South Africa 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," Sullivan wrote on his site.

Missionary Mark Coffey said of Sullivan, "Josh’s love for the Xhosa people is evident in everything he does. He doesn’t just serve them — he walks with them, learns from them, and pours his life into building lasting relationships rooted in the love of Christ. He often says that learning the Xhosa language wasn’t just about communication — it was about connection."

Sullivan's father-in-law, David Witt, told WVLT-TV, "We’re asking that everybody pray for Josh. I came out here to ask for prayer. We’re in a really tense situation right now."

Witt added, “It’s devastating in terms of the children. These are my children and grandchildren. On the flip side, we serve a big God. We trust in him."

Last week, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqeberha, according to the anti-gang police unit.

Citing police statistics, CBS News reported that there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in South Africa during the 2023-2024 fiscal year — an 11% increase from the previous year.

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