American pastor's kidnapping in South Africa fueled by soaring armed robbery incidents in recent years

The kidnapping of a Tennessee pastor moving successful South Africa comes amid a soaring kidnapping complaint successful the state implicit the past 10 years, fueled by equipped robberies.

Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old Fellowship Baptist Church pastor and missionary moving successful Motherwell, was allegedly kidnapped by respective armed, masked men who broke into his religion successful the Eastern Cape Province connected the evening of April 10, took cellphones from parishioners and drove distant with Sullivan successful his ain truck. 

"The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) yearly transgression statistic amusement that successful the past decade, kidnappings accrued by 264% from 4,692 successful 2014/15 to 17,061 successful 2023/24," the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa said successful a December 2024 report. "The astir caller quarterly transgression stats, released connected 25 November [2024], amusement an ongoing rise."

Most kidnapping incidents implicit the 2023-2024 clip play "were perpetrated during aggravated robberies, specified arsenic car oregon motortruck hijackings oregon equipped robberies astatine businesses, homes, oregon successful nationalist spaces," the ISS Africa study reads.

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Josh Sullivan, a 34-year-old pastor from Tennessee, has been kidnapped successful South Africa. (Fellowship Baptist Church/Facebook)

Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakhuvana told South African quality outlet IOL that the suspects who kidnapped Sullivan demanded a ransom.

"In effect to the incident, a multidisciplinary task squad consist[ing] of assorted constabulary specialised [sic] units was activated. The associated squad is presently pursuing each imaginable leads to find the unfortunate and apprehend the perpetrators. A ransom was demanded by the suspects," Mhlakhuvana told IOL.

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The South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known arsenic the Hawks, urged anyone with accusation to travel forward, saying "all accusation volition beryllium treated with the strictest confidentiality," IOL reported.

The ISS Africa study notes that little than 5% of kidnappings successful South Africa impact ransom demands.

Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News Digital successful a connection that her "prayers are with Pastor Sullivan’s household and those moving tirelessly to rescue him from these vicious transgression gangs."

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"I person been successful interaction with the State Department and submitted an enquiry with the embassy successful South Africa, and they are moving to assistance this household immoderate mode they can," Blackburn said.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said she is successful interaction with the State Department regarding Joshua Sullivan's kidnapping successful South Africa. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

Bobby McDonald, a lecturer successful transgression justness astatine the University of New Haven successful Connecticut, told Fox News Digital that it seems similar missionaries moving "in antithetic countries, whether it's successful African countries oregon South American countries, a batch of times they are walking into situations wherever determination are heavy gang-related enactment oregon the tendency to... bash harm to radical who are from antithetic countries … trying to marque a difference."

"South Africa, implicit the years — and I've been determination erstwhile — you tin beryllium successful a precise well-to-do vicinity successful South Africa and moments aboriginal beryllium successful an underdeveloped oregon underprivileged vicinity — the shanty towns that we've seen successful the past coming retired of apartheid," helium said. "There are a batch of antithetic areas … somewhat disconnected the beaten path, and you tin find yourself successful a concern that's gonna perchance origin immoderate harm to you and your family."

Tom Hatley, pastor astatine Fellowship Baptist Church, told Fox News' Madison Scarpino that Sullivan was successful a supplication gathering Thursday erstwhile "somebody came in, and past others followed him, and they asked for him by sanction and then, and agelong communicative short, they took him astatine gunpoint."

"It was thing that we each knew could hap there, but we ever hoped and prayed that it would not," Hatley said.

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He added that Fellowship Baptist leaders "expected Josh to beryllium returned that Thursday night, and erstwhile helium was not, we hoped that helium would beryllium returned that Friday morning. But things person conscionable not worked retired that way."

Joshua Sullivan, a Tennessee pastor doing missionary enactment successful South Africa, was kidnapped connected April 10. (Facebook)

Sullivan remains "cool and calm" and is "handling" the situation, Hatley said. 

In a unrecorded treatment posted by Sullivan's location religion successful Tennessee, Fellowship Baptist Church, 4 months ago, Sullivan and his woman recounted stories of being robbed successful South Africa. They person spent a full of six years successful the state and planted a caller religion successful Motherwell successful 2021.

"Robbing is simply a precise communal occurrence. It’s ace common," Sullivan said successful the video.

His woman past recounted a clip erstwhile she was robbed of a caller iPhone.

"The transgression doesn’t stem from gangs. There’s gangs…but that’s not wherever the transgression stems from," she told the church, adding that galore locals "can’t enactment nutrient connected the table."

Josh Sullivan has a passionateness for sports and utilized to beryllium a champion precocious schoolhouse shot player. (Facebook)

"They’re truly conscionable looking for wealth to unrecorded disconnected of," she said.

McDonald noted that "a small spot of wealth successful definite areas tin beryllium a batch of money" successful others. 

"Maybe this is thing that's going connected rather heavy successful that area, and determination whitethorn beryllium different kidnappings down the roadworthy from these gangs. … It'll beryllium absorbing to spot however the South African authorities privation to grip this," helium said. "It's ne'er bully erstwhile anybody's kidnapped. It's adjacent worse erstwhile missionaries from different countries are kidnapped."

Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, described Sullivan's "humor and wit" arsenic a "blessing."

"[H]e’s ever acceptable with a joke, and everlastingly seeking to marque radical laugh," she said successful a statement. "He's an exceptional father, husband, and son, embodying kindness, spot and generosity. He has a servants heart, a benignant compassionate tone and is filled with selflessness. He has a load for mislaid souls and has devoted his beingness to serving God successful South Africa. I commune for his harmless return, filled with religion and assurance."

Missionary Mark Coffey described Sullivan successful a Facebook station arsenic "a kind, big-hearted, gentle giant."

Josh Sullivan's household are pleading for answers aft his April 10 kidnapping. (Facebook)

"Originally from Maryville, Tennessee, Josh is 34 years aged and a subordinate of Fellowship Baptist Church successful Maryville, wherever Pastor Tom Hatley is his pastor," Coffey said. "Growing up, Josh developed a heavy emotion for sports and was a standout shot subordinate astatine Maryville High School, wherever helium was portion of 3 authorities title teams. That aforesaid passionateness and subject present substance his bosom for missions and ministry. Josh and his wife, Meagan, archetypal came to South Africa successful 2015 for a six-month internship arsenic portion of their Bible training."

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Coffey continued: "It was during this clip that the Lord began to disturbance their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people. They returned successful 2018 arsenic full-time religion planting missionaries, determined to stock the Gospel and spot lives changed. Josh committed himself to 2 years of connection schoolhouse and became fluent successful Xhosa truthful helium could preach, disciple, and curate much effectively. That dedication led to the planting of Fellowship Baptist Church successful the township of Motherwell—a assemblage that has go location to their hearts."

The Sullivans person besides taken successful 2 Xhosa children to rise on with their ain children.