East Tennessee pastor recounts ‘miracle' rescue after kidnapping in South Africa

Yahoo

09-05-2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An East Tennessee pastor who was abducted at gunpoint from the pulpit in South Africa has returned home and is sharing his story of faith and how a 'miracle' unfolded after six days of being held captive.
Josh Sullivan, 34, his wife Meagan and their six children have been living in South Africa's Eastern Cape providence, where they are church planting missionaries and lead a life on a mission to share the gospel. The Sullivans sat down with 6 News' Lori Tucker, saying that as they shared their story of Josh's kidnapping and rescue, they wanted to be intentional to keep the focus on the sovereign hand of God that got them through.
The full interview can be watched at 7:30 p.m. on WATE6+.
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On April 10, Josh Sullivan was preaching at a prayer meeting when four armed men broke into the Fellowship Baptist Church in the Motherwell Township. Meagan Sullivan recounted how many thoughts when through her mind in the first few moments, quickly shifting from excitement to see men coming to the church, which is mainly attended by women and children, to noticing that the men had firearms, and then again to the realization that they may be robbed soon. Josh Sullivan explained that the men came in a few minutes into the service.
'I assumed they all had guns, but we definitely saw two different guns because one came to me and one came to her. We originally thought they were going to rob us – that happens, unfortunately, a lot in our area – so I was prepared to give them my phone and iPad. But then once he hit me over the head with his gun, I knew this was not a normal robbery.' Josh Sullivan said.
Josh Sullivan said his eyes went black for a moment, and he wondered what happened because he didn't see it coming.
'Then I heard my wife speaking to one of the other individuals, they were looking for the car keys to our vehicle, and then I was on the ground after that,' he recalled.
Ultimately, the men took Josh Sullivan to a location where he was kept for 122 hours. He said the men who kidnapped him were seeking a ransom of 5 million rand, which is worth upwards of $250,000. The couple explained that kidnapping for ransoms in the region are something that seems to be frequent, a statement that aligns with a BBC's report that there has been a dramatic increase in kidnappings for ransom in South Africa over the past decade.
Josh Sullivan recounted that the men who were keeping him offered him food and water frequently, but when it came to the phone calls they had him make for ransom money, they would say things to him to try to make him afraid.
Throughout those six days, Josh Sullivan said it was hard to tell how much time was passing. He knew when the sun rose and set, but other than that, not much happened to show the passing of time. On the final day, he said there were mixed signals from the men on if he would be staying at the home another night or if they would be taking him to another location. That night, another man he had not seen before brought him his shoes and told him they were leaving.
That night, Josh Sullivan described how he felt the hand of the Lord intervene. Before that point, the men had used the shoelaces from Josh Sullivan's shoes to bind his hands, so the shoelaces had to be put back into his shoes. Then, as they led him to the vehicle with his head covered, he said he tripped on multiple steps because he could not see where he was going. All these actions slowed down the process, which the men were attempting to make go as quickly as possible. Once they were finally in the vehicle, Josh Sullivan's head was in one of the men's laps when shots rang out.
The South African Police Service previously said that a multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation, known as the Hawks, led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation rescued Josh Sullivan. He explained that the officers who rescued him were actually going to a different location and made a wrong turn. That mistake led officers to the home he was being kept at, where the men who were holding him opened fire. The South African Police Service described what followed as a 'high-intensity shootout.' Once the gunfire ended, an officer checking the scene was surprised to find Josh Sullivan alive and asked if he was the American pastor that had been kidnapped.
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Sullivan described the events that led to his rescue as 'a miracle,' and 'the sovereign hand of God.' Within a few hours, Josh Sullivan was reunited with the rest of his family. The family had been moved to a safe house about an hour away, and Josh Sullivan added that both of his brothers-in-law travelled to South Africa to help look after his family. Meagan Sullivan said while her husband was kept captive, she wrote a letter of all the things he missed. She also said she heard from people in about 10 countries that they were praying for her family, and she knew there were thousands praying for them.
Since his rescue, the family has returned to the United States to rest and recover, but both Josh and Meagan Sullivan said they feel they will go back to South Africa. Josh Sullivan explained they feel strongly that the gospel message needs to be shared in South Africa. Meagan Sullivan added that if she was asked years ago, she would not have believed she would such a strong love and calling to the people of South Africa, but when her husband is ready, they plan to return to their mission field and continue their life's work of helping save souls.
Those interested in supporting the Sullivans can visit www.three2thrive.org. The family also shares prayer letters and more information about their work on their website, sullivansinsouthafrica.weebly.com.
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