Josh Sullivan moved to South Africa in 2018. /JOSH SULLIVAN /FACEBOOK
An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men after they stormed his church service in South Africa, local authorities say.
Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organised and commercial crimes and high-level corruption.
"The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators," said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Fumba.
Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family's spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place.
"They knew his name," he said.
Mr Sullivan's mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the news.
She added: "Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him."
No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24.
Mr Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website.
On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people.
Over the past decade, there has been 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police statistics.
Just a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqberra.
