Four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in South Africa on Thursday evening, stole two cellphones from members and took away the pastor, police said.
MOTHERWELL, South Africa — An East Tennessee pastor was abducted by armed and masked men as he was preaching a sermon before a congregation in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police said Friday.
Four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell Township on Thursday evening, stole two cellphones from members of the congregation and took away the pastor in his own truck, said police, who have now initiated an investigation into abduction and armed robbery.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed pastor Josh Sullivan’s kidnapping to WBIR 10News. Beetge said the case is now being handled by its Hawks unit, which handles kidnapping and ransom cases.
“As soon as there’s kidnappings with ransoms, Hawks takes the cases,” he said.
Lt. Colonel Avele Fumba, an officer with Hawks, confirmed to 10News that Sullivan is being held for ransom. He said the unit is following all possible leads to locate Sullivan and arrest his abductors.
“Due to the sensitivity of the investigation, we are unable to divulge specific information related to the ransom at this stage. However, any new developments will be communicated in due course,” Fumba said.
According to the Fellowship Baptist church blog, Sullivan, who described himself as a “church-planting missionary,” his wife Meagan and two children arrived in South Africa in November 2018 to run the Motherwell branch. In the blog, Sullivan listed his contact address as being in Maryville, Tennessee.
10News reached out to East Tennessee lawmakers on Friday about the incident. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s office did not have a comment, and Rep. Tim Burchett’s office said it could not provide details due to federal privacy laws.
“We can confirm we are in contact with the Sullivan family and doing all we can to help,” Burchett’s office said.
Fellowship Baptist Church in Morgan County, Tennessee, asked for prayers for Sullivan.
An image showing Sullivan preaching behind a pulpit was uploaded on X by a user going by the name of Tom Hatley. Sullivan identifies a man with the same name as his childhood and training pastor on his own blog. Hatley claimed that he was posting on Sullivan’s wife’s behalf and prayed for a safe return.
A Maryville, Tennessee woman by the name Tonya Rinker, who lists Sullivan as her son in her profile, expressed heartbreak on Facebook and asked for prayers for her son, daughter-in-law and grandkids, adding that the American embassy in South Africa was working on finding him.
Beetge confirmed in a statement that the stolen truck, a silver Toyota Fortuner, was found abandoned in Motherwell a short while after the incident.
Additionally, the police Anti-Gang Unit has now taken over the investigation that was opened by the South African Police Service in Motherwell.
As they await Sullivan’s safe return, supporters flocked to the pastor’s personal blog site and other social media platforms to offer their well-wishes.
“We are now praying that you delivered from these evil men,” a poster named Richard Stockton said on the church website. “Praying the Holy Spirit well work on their hearts and be saved. And release you!!!”
Another supporter called Kody Moore said Sullivan was a “faithful brother doing much to make Christ known in Africa.”
“Please pray for Josh to be brought home safely and especially his family during this absolutely terrible time. May Christ be magnified,” he posted on X.
Authorities said anyone with information about Sullivan to reach out at an international phone number, where they are collecting tips about the case — 011 27 (82) 569-8513.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WBIR Staff
www.wbir.com
