US Pastor Abducted in South Africa Rescued After Police Shootout

The missionary was abducted on Thursday when four men broke into the church.

South African law enforcement officers enter the gate of the house where an American missionary Josh Sullivan was being held in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, South Africa, on April 16, 2025. South African Police Services via AP

JOHANNESBURG—An American pastor who was kidnapped last week by armed and masked men during a sermon in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa was rescued on Tuesday after three of his abductors engaged in gunfire with officials and were killed, police said Wednesday.

The 45-year-old American, Josh Sullivan from Tennessee, has been based in the Motherwell township branch of the Fellowship Baptist Church since 2018 alongside his wife and two children.