Christian missionary abducted in South Africa

 

Josh Sullivan, a U.S. Baptist missionary, was kidnapped at gunpoint as he preached Thursday evening at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, South Africa.  

According to police, four masked gunmen entered the church late last night during a prayer meeting with about 30 attendees. The assailants robbed two cell phones before abducting the 45-year-old pastor and taking him in his own vehicle, a silver Toyota Fortuner. The car was later found abandoned about a mile from the church.  

Sullivan, a husband and father of six, has been a missionary in South Africa since 2018. Sullivan and his family are members of Fellowship Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church in Maryville, Tennessee, where Sullivan has been on staff. His wife and children are among those who witnessed the kidnapping.  

While some reports suggest the kidnapping may have been financially motivated, the attackers targeted the preacher and were well aware of his vocation. The gunmen reportedly knew Sullivan by name. The church also faced threats of being burned down at the end of 2024. 

The South African Police Service’s Anti-Gang Unit is investigating the kidnapping. The U.S. Embassy in South Africa is also aware of the situation and is monitoring developments. 

Sullivan and his wife planted Fellowship Baptist Church on Aug. 1, 2021, with the mission to provide a church for the Xhosa-speaking people of South Africa. According to a recent post on the Sullivans’ blog, only five churches that preach in the Xhosa language exist for the nearly 10 million Xhosa-speaking people in South Africa. 

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