April 28, 2025
Josh Sullivan, a U.S. missionary and pastor, was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint Thursday evening, April 10, while delivering a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, South Africa.
According to multiple media reports, four armed and masked men entered the church around 7 p.m., robbed congregants of two cellphones, and abducted the 45-year-old pastor in his vehicle, later found abandoned nearby.
Sullivan’s wife, Meagan, and six children were reportedly with Sullivan at the time of the attack but were unharmed. Authorities believe the abduction may be financially motivated, consistent with a rising number of ransom-related kidnappings in the region, according to media reports.
Sullivan and his family are members of Fellowship Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church in Maryville, Tennessee, where Sullivan has been on staff. Other than their home church, The Baptist Paper was unable to identify any other organization or group that the family is working with at this time.
The U.S. Embassy has reportedly acknowledged the incident and is monitoring developments.
