American Pastor Abducted at Gunpoint During Sermon in South Africa – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:59 PM – Monday, April 14, 2025
An American pastor has been abducted while he was preaching in South Africa.
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On Thursday evening, Josh Sullivan, a 45-year-old from Tennessee, was allegedly taken at gunpoint when four individuals broke into the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell during his sermon.
According to police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge, the suspects also stole two mobile phones from worshippers and fled with the pastor in his silver Toyota Fortuner. The vehicle was later discovered abandoned approximately a mile away.
Beetge mentioned that the Hawks, a specialized police unit that deals with organized crime, economic offenses, and corruption, are currently investigating the case.
“Authorities are actively pursuing all potential leads to find the victim and capture the suspects,” stated Hawks spokesperson Lt. Col. Avele Fumba, as reported by the outlet.
As reported by TimesLive, Reverend Jeremy Hall, a pastor from the Eastern Cape province and spokesperson for the Sullivan family, witnessed the incident.
“They recognized him,” Hall told the outlet. “The men entered the church and initially held Meagan, escorting her toward the exit before asking, ‘Josh, is this your wife?’ They then shoved her to the ground and abducted Josh, departing in his vehicle.”
According to his personal website, Sullivan identifies as “a church planting missionary” and moved to South Africa with his family from Tennessee in November 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa speakers.
Sullivan has also been part of the Fellowship Baptist Church staff in Maryville since 2012.
Fellowship Baptist Church posted on Facebook, requesting everyone to “Please pray for Josh Sullivan, missionary to South Africa.”
A representative from the U.S. State Department informed CBS News that they are aware of the abduction of an American citizen in South Africa, but have no additional information to provide at this time.
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