Kidnapping Tennessee pastor works in South Africa Over the past decade, the country’s kidnapping rate has risen, driven by armed robbery.
Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old scholarship Baptist pastor, Missionaries working in Motherwell On the evening of April 10, several armed, masked men allegedly kidnapped his church, took their cell phones from parishioners, and drove with Sullivan in his truck.
“The South African Police (SAPS) annual crime statistics show that over the past decade, kidnapping has increased from 4,692 on 2014/15 to 264% to 17,061 on 2023/24. Institute of Security (ISS) Africa said in the December 2024 report. “The latest quarterly crime statistics released on November 25 [2024]showing a continuous rise. ”
ISS Africa reports that most of the kidnappings during the 2023-2024 period occurred during robbery, such as car or truck hijacking or armed robbery in businesses, houses or public places. ”
Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old pastor from Tennessee, was kidnapped in South Africa. (Scholarship Baptist Church/Facebook)
Eastern Cape Eagles spokesman assured official Ndiphiwe Mhlakhuvana told South African news media IOL that the suspects who kidnapped Sullivan demanded ransom.
“In response to the incident, a multidisciplinary mission team formed[ing] Various police professions [sic] The unit is activated. The joint team is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and arrest the perpetrator. The suspect demands ransom,” Mhlakhuvana told IOL.
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The South African Priority Crime Investigation Agency (called the Hawks) urged anyone with information to step up and say “all information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality”.
The ISS Africa report states that less than 5% of kidnappings in South Africa involve ransom demands.
“Her prayers were rescued from these vicious crime gangs with Pastor Sullivan’s family and those who worked tirelessly,” Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News numbers in a statement.
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“I have been in touch with the State Department and asked the South African Embassy that they are working to help the family,” Blackburn said.
Senator Marsha Blackburn of R-Tenn said she was involved in the State Department’s relevance to Joshua Sullivan’s kidnapping in South Africa. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
Bobby McDonald, a criminal justice lecturer at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, told Fox News that it seems that missionaries are working in different countries in African countries or South American countries, and many times, they are trapped in situations where gang-related activities or desire to cause harm to people in different countries.
“For years, South Africa – I’ve been there – you can be in a very wealthy neighborhood in South Africa and later in an underdeveloped or impoverished neighborhood – what we used to see was apartheid shanty towns,” he said. “There are a lot of different areas… slightly off the beaten track and you’ll find yourself in situations where you can do some harm to you and your family.”
Tom Hatley, pastor of Fellows Baptist Church, told Fox News’ Madison Scarpino that Sullivan was in a prayer meeting Thursday when “someone comes in and others follow him, they use their names and then long story short, they take him to the gun.”
“This is something we all know about happening there, but we always hope and pray that it won’t,” Hartley said.
The agency said the American missionary couple was killed in Haiti.
He added that the Scholarship Baptist leader “is expected Josh to return that Thursday night and when he doesn’t, we hope he will return that Friday morning. But things didn’t do that.”
Tennessee pastor Joshua Sullivan was kidnapped on April 10. (Facebook)
Hartley said Sullivan remains “cool and calm” and is “handling” the situation.
exist Live discussions released by Sullivan’s House Church Four months ago, in Tennessee, Baptist Scholarship Church, Sullivan and his wife told the story of being robbed in South Africa. They spent six years in the country and planted a new church in Motherwell in 2021.
“Robbery is a very common thing. It’s very common,” Sullivan said in the video.
His wife then tells the story of her new iPhone robbery.
She told the church that he added: “Sin did not originate from gangs…but it was not the purpose of crime.” Many locals “can’t put food on the table.”
Josh Sullivan was passionate about sports and was once a champion high school football player. (Facebook)
“They are really just looking for money to live,” she said.
McDonald’s noted that “a little bit of money in some areas may be a lot of money.”
“Maybe this is going big in that area, and there may be other kidnappings in these gangs. …It’s interesting to see how South African authorities want to deal with this,” he said. “It’s not good when anyone is kidnapped. When missionaries in other countries are kidnapped, it’s even worse.”
Sullivan’s mother Tonya Morton Rinker describes Sullivan’s “humor and wit” as “blessing.”
“[H]She is always ready to make jokes and always tries to make people laugh. “He is an outstanding father, husband and son, embodying kindness, strength and generosity,” she said in a statement. He has a servant’s heart, a kind, compassionate spirit, full of selfless spirit. He burdened the lost soul and was committed to serving God in South Africa. I pray for his safe return, full of faith and assurance. ”
Missionary Mark Coffey described Sullivan as a “good, big-hearted, gentle giant” in a Facebook post.
Josh Sullivan’s family begged for answers after abduction on April 10. (Facebook)
“Josh was originally from Maryville, Tennessee, and is a member of the Maryville Scholarship Baptist Church, and Rev. Tom Hartley was his pastor,” Coffey said. “Growing up, Josh was full of love for sports and was a distinguished football player at Maryville High School, a member of three state championship teams. Now the same enthusiasm and discipline fuels his heart for mission and ministry. Josh and his wife Meagan first came to South Africa in 2015 for a six-month internship as part of their biblical training.”
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“It was during this time that the Lord began to shake his heart for the people of Xhosa. They returned in 2018 as a full-time church planting missionary, they decided to share the gospel and see life change. Become the home of their hearts.”
The Sullivan also took two Xhosa children to raise with their own children.
