An American preacher from Fellowship Baptist Church abducted during a sermon in South Africa has been rescued following a deadly gun battle, police confirmed on Wednesday.
Josh Sullivan, 45, was seized last Thursday in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape province.
He was preaching during an evening service when gunmen stormed the church and kidnapped him at gunpoint.
The preacher is affiliated with the Fellowship Baptist Church and had been working as a missionary in the region.
The South African Police Service launched a tactical rescue mission after receiving intelligence on Sullivan’s location.
Authorities said he was being held in a house in KwaMagxaki, another township within the same city.
When police arrived at the house, they encountered a vehicle on the premises linked to the suspects.
As officers approached, the suspects allegedly opened fire, triggering a fierce shootout.
According to police, three unidentified men were killed in the exchange of gunfire at the scene.
Sullivan was found inside the suspect vehicle and, miraculously, was not injured during the operation.
“He is currently in an excellent condition,” said the official police statement released after the rescue.
Authorities hailed the mission as a success, despite the high-stakes confrontation with armed suspects.
Tom Hatley, Sullivan’s mentor, confirmed the preacher’s release in a Facebook post featuring a family photo.
“Josh has been released,” he wrote. “I just got the go-ahead to let it be known.”
He asked the public to respect the privacy of the Sullivan family in the aftermath of the ordeal.
“They love you back, but give them some time,” Hatley added in a follow-up post.
Sullivan, originally from Tennessee, had moved to South Africa in 2018 to serve as a church-planting missionary.
He had been working among Xhosa-speaking communities, according to his personal website.
His long-term goals included language school and building a new church in the township.
The website describes his mission as grounded in faith and long-term community outreach.
Kidnappings are a growing crisis in South Africa, with police reporting an average of 51 abductions per day.
The country is also plagued by frequent mass shootings and one of the highest murder rates globally.
Sullivan’s abduction comes just two months after Islamic cleric Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead in Bethelsdorp.
Both cases have intensified concerns over rising violence in South Africa’s Eastern Cape region.
