Five days after he was kidnapped by armed men from his church in Motherwell, South Africa, Tennessee missionary Josh Sullivan was rescued and “miraculously unharmed” following a “high-intensity shootout” that left three people dead.
A statement from the South African Police Service said the shootout happened at a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, where the 34-year-old pastor was being held captive.
“As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,” the statement said.
“The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack. Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”
The statement said the investigation of the kidnapping is still underway and asked for “privacy for the victim and his family as they navigate this period of recovery.”
Sullivan, who leads Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, was kidnapped by multiple armed men during a sermon at his church on April 10. The kidnappers had demanded an undisclosed ransom.
The kidnapping triggered a global prayer rally starting with Sullivan’s home church, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, led by Pastor Tom Hatley.
Hatley celebrated the rescue in a statement on Facebook Wednesday while urging his followers to continue praying for Sullivan and his family.
“Josh has been released. I just got ‘the go ahead to let it be known,’” he wrote. “Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise The Lord Jesus Christ!”
Church secretary Heather Shirley told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that the only message shared with the church about Pastor Sullivan’s rescue so far is that he had been rescued. They hadn’t gotten into the details highlighted by local police just yet. She also noted that the miraculous rescue is exactly what they had been praying for and praised God.
“He (God) was the one protecting him and taking care of him. And that's what we were praying for all along, that He would take care of him and bring him home,” Shirley said while noting they are looking forward to hearing Sullivan’s testimony firsthand.
“We prefer to get it firsthand, you know. Everything's more correct if you're getting it [firsthand]. We want to let Josh tell the whole story as he wants to or give us something to give to our people so that they understand exactly how he felt,” Shirley added.
“I don't think any of us can understand how he felt in that situation. I mean, there had to just be a hedge of protection around him, provided by God, that's the only explanation for it.”
Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville noted in a previous statement that Sullivan and his wife, Meagan, first travelled to South Africa in 2015 for a six-month internship as part of their Bible training.
“It was during this time that the Lord began to stir their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people. They returned in 2018 as full-time church planting missionaries, determined to share the Gospel, and see lives changed,” the bio from the church states.
Sullivan spent two years at a language school to become fluent in Xhosa “so he could preach, disciple, and minister more effectively.”
“That dedication led to the planting of Fellowship Baptist Church in the township of Motherwell — a community that has become home to their hearts,” the church said. The couple have also taken in two Xhosa children to be a part of their household in South Africa.
