American pastor kidnapped in South Africa thanks God after being rescued

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Kidnapped US pastor in South Africa rescued after dramatic shootout

Fox News senior correspondent Jonathan Serrie has the latest on the rescue operation for a kidnapped U.S. pastor in South Africa on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

American pastor Josh Sullivan released a statement after he was rescued from captivity following a deadly shootout in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.

“I want to begin by thanking God for delivering me from what was undoubtedly the worst experience of our life,” Sullivan wrote in a press release. He said that his “personal relationship with Jesus” gave him the strength he needed to survive.

Joshua Sullivan was kidnapped by armed men on April 10. (Fellowship Baptist Church/Facebook)

AMERICAN PASTOR KIDNAPPED IN SOUTH AFRICA RESCUED AFTER DEADLY POLICE SHOOTOUT

“I am deeply grateful to the thousands of people who prayed for me while I was in captivity. It was because of these prayers that God performed a miracle a few nights ago.”

Sullivan also expressed his gratitude for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS), the FBI, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents and the South African police. He also said he was thankful for his wife, “whose strength and resilience made her the strongest woman in the world last week.”

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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Sullivan asked for privacy, but said he would tell his “miraculous” story “when the time is right.”
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.”

Josh Sullivan was safely rescued on Tuesday, according to officials in South Africa. (AP)

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Sullivan was abducted when four men broke into his church and dragged him from the pulpit, according to the Associated Press, which added that his truck was found hours later. The outlet reported that Sullivan has been based in the Motherwell township branch of the Fellowship Baptist Church since 2018. 

Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.