An American missionary, Pastor Josh Sullivan, was abducted at gunpoint while delivering a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near Gqeberha, South Africa, on the evening of Thursday, April 10, 2025.
During the prayer meeting, which was attended by approximately 30 congregants, including Sullivan’s wife and six children, four masked and armed men entered the church. They robbed two mobile phones before forcibly taking the 45-year-old pastor. The assailants drove off in Sullivan’s vehicle, which was later found abandoned about 1.5 kilometers from the church.
Reverend Jeremy Hall, a fellow pastor in the area, suggested that the abduction was likely financially motivated, noting that the kidnappers appeared to know Sullivan personally. Sullivan, originally from Tennessee, had been serving in South Africa since November 2018.
This incident highlights a growing concern over kidnappings in South Africa. Police statistics indicate that over 17,000 kidnappings were reported in the 2023/2024 financial year, marking an 11% increase from the previous year.
