An American pastor who was abducted during a sermon in South Africa has been rescued following a shootout with police, authorities confirmed.

Joshua Sullivan, a missionary from Tennessee, was taken last Thursday night while preaching at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. Four armed men stormed the church, robbed congregants of their phones, and abducted Sullivan. His truck was later found abandoned.

South Africa’s elite crime unit, the Hawks, said Sullivan was rescued on Tuesday after a "high-intensity shootout" with the suspects in KwaMagxaki, about 20 minutes from the abduction site. Three suspects were killed during the confrontation. Sullivan was discovered unharmed in the vehicle from which the gunmen had fired at officers.

“Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in excellent condition,” the Hawks said.

Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, shared her relief in a Facebook post: “My Baby is free! Joshua was rescued earlier today!! He is home with Meagan and the kids … Thank you for your support and prayers.”

Sullivan, 34, and his wife Meagan first came to South Africa in 2015 and returned in 2018 as church-planting missionaries. Fluent in Xhosa, they have four biological children and have also taken in two Xhosa children.

Kidnappings in South Africa have surged, with more than 17,000 cases reported in the year ending March 2024 — over three times higher than a decade ago. The country also ranks among the world’s most violent, with more than 27,000 murders last year.

While most kidnappings are linked to vehicle hijackings or robberies, only a small percentage involve ransom demands. Authorities have not yet confirmed the motive behind Sullivan’s abduction. Photo by ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd., Wikimedia commons.