American pastor kidnapped in South Africa rescued after deadly police shootout

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American pastor kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa rescued in ‘high-intensity shootout’: police

Fellowship Baptist Church pastor Josh Sullivan was allegedly kidnapped by several armed, masked men who broke into his church in the Eastern Cape Province on April 10. 

Authorities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa rescued a kidnapped American pastor during a deadly shootout on Tuesday at a house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) released a statement announcing that an operation led by the agency “resulted in the successful rescue” of an American pastor who was kidnapped.

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.

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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)

Police said they received tips that Sullivan was inside a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha. 

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.”

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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)

Tom Hatley, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, confirmed Sullivan’s rescue early Wednesday morning in a Facebook post.

“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!” he wrote.

Sullivan is from Maryville and spent years learning how to be a pastor under Hatley’s leadership, according to congregation members on Facebook.

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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)

“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.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.