American pastor kidnapped in South Africa rescued after deadly police shootout
Pastor Josh Sullivan, who leads a church in the Eastern Cape Province, was kidnapped during a service on April 10
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A kidnapped American pastor was rescued in South Africa following a deadly shootout at a house in the country's Eastern Cape province, officials announced Wednesday.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) said an operation led by the agency "resulted in the successful rescue" of an American citizen, "reportedly a local pastor who had allegedly been kidnapped and held at a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, on 15 April 2025."
Though the news release did not name the pastor, 34-year-old Josh Sullivan, of Tennessee, was kidnapped by several armed, masked men last week at his church in the Eastern Cape, Fellowship Baptist Church Motherwell.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Josh has been released. I just got ‘the go ahead to let it be known’. SA media has started broadcasting. American media will follow. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise The Lord Jesus Christ!" Tom Hatley, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, wrote early Wednesday morning in a Facebook post.
American pastor Josh Sullivan, who was kidnapped from his church in the Eastern Cape Province last week, has been rescued by police following a "high-intensity shootout." (Fellowship Baptist Church/Facebook)
The rescue comes after a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that a multi-law-enforcement agency team was assembled and was working on the ground to help locate Sullivan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A multi-law-enforcement agency team, including State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, has formed on the ground and is actively pursuing the case and supporting the family members involved with embassy and consulate colleagues," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital prior to the announcement of Sullivan's rescue.
South African law enforcement officers enter the gate of the house where an American missionary Josh Sullivan was being held in Gqeberha, South Africa, on Wednesday, April 16. (South African Police Services via AP)
"The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad," the spokesperson added.
The State Department did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for further comment from Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sullivan was abducted in South Africa last Thursday after four men broke into his church and dragged him away from the pulpit, according to the Associated Press. Sullivan's truck was found abandoned several hours later, the news agency added.
Josh Sullivan is from Maryville, Tennessee, and spent years observing the leadership of Fellowship Baptist Church Pastor Tom Hatley, according to congregation members on Facebook. (Facebook)
Police said Wednesday that they received tips that Sullivan was inside a safe house in the city of Gqeberha.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When they arrived at the home, suspects inside a car on the premises began firing at law enforcement and attempted to flee.
A "high-intensity shootout" took place and three unidentified suspects were killed.
Sullivan was found inside the same car that the suspects were in, but he was "miraculously unharmed," police said, adding that he is "currently in an excellent condition."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Josh Sullivan was safely rescued on Tuesday, according to officials in South Africa. (AP)
Sullivan is from Maryville and spent years learning how to be a pastor under Hatley's leadership, according to congregation members on Facebook.
Sullivan went to South Africa with his wife and two children in 2018 after the couple participated in a six-month internship there in 2015 as part of their Bible training to become missionaries.
Josh Sullivan, an American pastor from Tennessee, has been working as a missionary in South Africa with his wife and their children since 2018. (Fellowship Baptist Church Motherwell/Facebook)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was during this time that the Lord began to stir their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people," fellow Missionary Mark Coffey said. "They returned in 2018 as full-time church-planting missionaries, determined to share the Gospel and see lives changed. Josh committed himself to two years of language school and became fluent in Xhosa so he could preach, disciple, and minister more effectively."
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.