BREAKING UPDATE:
The American missionary who was kidnapped at gunpoint by masked men during his church service in South Africa has been rescued after a deadly shootout with his captors.
South African law enforcement rescued Pastor Josh Sullivan after hunting down the kidnappers and locating them in a car parked outside a house about 20 minutes from his church. The suspects reportedly tried to escape while shooting at the police officers.
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Three perpetrators were then fatally shot in the high-intensity shootout that followed. Sullivan, who describes himself as “a church-planting missionary” on his personal website, has been reunited with his wife Meagan and their children.
“The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack,” Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said. “Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”
/**/A man named Tom Hatley, Sullivan’s training pastor, confirmed the rescue, stating online, “Josh has been released… Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans.”
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EARLIER REPORT:
The Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, had shared the intial kidnapping news on its Facebook page. The Tennessee pastor’s abduction was allegedly intended for a ransom, but details were sparse.
Lt. Gen. Avele Fumba of the South African Police Service had previously confirmed to ABC News that the agency’s elite Hawk unit was investigating the reported kidnapping of “a man believed to be the pastor of a local church” in the Gqeberha area.
Sullivan was holding a prayer meeting with about 30 people, including his wife and children, when four kidnappers entered the building.
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Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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