Rudi Lack was YWAM’s first member from Switzerland and Europe. He joined Youth With A Mission in the winter of 1969 after translating for Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission, in a German speaking church in Switzerland.
The ministry that God had Rudi involved in spread across the world. He was the first person from YWAM to minister in East Africa, South Africa, China and many other regions and nations of the world.
Rudi’s ministry will live on the countless lives that he touched while serving in YWAM. He gained the nick-name “the YWAM Bumblebee” because he was known to “cross-pillinate and share vision that leads to great fruitfulness!”. He distributed millions of Christian books around the world and wrote two books, “Breakthrough – Taking the Gospel Across Forgidden Borders” and “101 Leadership Principles”.
You can read more about Rudi Lack and his ministry and influence in Youth With A Mission here.
When I was in Switzerland in 1999 I was blessed to hear Rudi speak and purchased his book Breakthrough, which was an amazing book (I only wish I still had it). Although it appears that the book Breakthrough is now no longer in print and you can not get it from YWAM Publishing, Amazon.com has some for sale here.
Rudi was my friend and the best man at my wedding. We first met at the British Assemblies of God Bible College in 1962. He was an inspiration as we shared many adventures together in difficult and out of the way places including the villages of the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram region of North Pakistan. It was usually Rudi who provided the vision and thrust when things got really tough. Much missed!
John Mosey
I have just read Rudi’s book “Breakthrough” and enjoyed every letter and chapter. I wanted to contact him to tell him about his remarkable book, not realizing that he passed away on 3 Feb this year. I am so sorry to hear that. If I was only 30 years younger I would have joined YWAM. When I got saved in 1974 I did not know about YWAM, only once crossed my road in Worcester in 1983. I met a few young people on a far with Christian friends of mine. If Rudi’s wife is still alive i just want to say to her, what a remarkable man, the Rudi used to know through his book. Thank you Lord for Rudi
I am in the process of reading breakthrough for the second time. I bless God for Rudy. His work is still changing and challenging lives. Praise God.
I have just finished reading breakthrough. My heart has received such great inspiration from all the accounts in the book. Much more to discover that Rudi’s first arrest by the police happened in my country Zambia as he distributed the little red gospel booklet to the Chinese workers on the TAN – ZAM rail project. Now we have a Chinese church and fellowships here in Zambia. Thanks to God for gracously using his servant the obedient YWAMER bumblebee. Thank you YWAM, thank you Lorren & Darlene!
I casually checking the internet just now about Rudy Lack whom I got acquainted in Singapore & at a conference in Manila some decades back. To my surprise, I found that he died a year ago! He was the person who facilitated me the licensing rights to reproduce ‘Scripture in Songs’ from NZ without my prompting. He was indeed a live wire for our Lord. I shall be finding out a little more about his early demise. He is with our Lord, and he is in the best place ever. Jimmy Teo, Singapore, 0036am/Friday/4 Feb 2011
I Read BREAKTHROUGH and SIGNPOSTS OF LIFE by Rudi in 2004. They inspired me a lot and still use some of the quotations in my speech. A man of practical approach. This day(5th, March 2011 I came to known about his pass-away and it shocked me. Thank God for sending Rudi and got inspired by his work.
I read ‘BreakThrough’ from my Pastor who loaned me his copy. A friend of mine later gfifted me the copy. Awesome book! I had never read a Christian book, so inspiring as this. I was fully engrossed and shared a an imagination of what he adventoured for the gospel. What metal has this guy!
But it more impresses on me the love and passion he has for Jesus. Lord, please help me love you.
One day, I will see him yonder the shore and listen more from him.
Salute to all the relentless, faithful Christian workers!
Rudi Lack’s life and books have had an indelible and profound impact upon my life and ministry. He was a mentor and a true leader. He had an incredible way of teaching us practical truths from the Bible. He inspired me to get into mission work and use YWAM’S “No guns, no bullets” slide presentation by Loren Cunningham in Schools in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius and Seychelles. He encouraged me to write and had my book printed and distributed in Africa. I spent some inspiring days with him and Elianne in Switzerland. He was a leader among leaders and has left a great legacy for us! Until that glorious morning, we continue to honor his memory!
oh ma God this great man is dead i jux finished his book.rip
I received the book “breaktrough” on my birthday during my DTS in 2000 in Pune – India>>> I had a personal breaktrough reading page 1 and 2 only. God bless Rudi Lack’s testimony!
i read the book le defi and i very anxious to know more about You.God bless you
I’ve just found out that Rudi passed on. I have read Breakthrough about 5 times since I first laid hands on it in 2005. I don’t think any other book has impacted me like Breakthrough besides the Bible. His life touched mine and I’m grateful to God that he yielded to his call.
I was very blessed to have met him and hear him speak in Switzerland in 1999. His book was truly inspirational.
I purchased a copy of Rudi Lack’s book, breakthrough, about 10 years ago and it promptly got lost, until several weeks ago when I “discovered” it when browsing through some old items. Although I thank God for Rudi’s pioneering ministry of taking bibles across borders, the book comes across as being “colonial european” in its outlook and is generally quite condescending towards africans. Some examples. In page 183 for instance, Ian Smith’s White Rhodesian minority government is labelled “democratic” while Zambian president Kaunda’s government is called a “dictatorship”. If my memory serves me right, Ian Smith ran an extremely oppressive apartheid system of government in Rhodesia and to call Ian Smith’s regime “democratic” is an insult to the very word itself. And why is newly independent (sic) Kaunda’s government dictatorial? No reasons are given but I doubt many Zambians would have agreed with this perception of their first post colonial governmment. Again in page 159, Pastor Simon Malya of Tanzania is called an “incompetent driver” for driving over an object that causes a puncture, but Rudi does not say the same of himself for hitting (and possibly killing) a gazelle in the Serengeti game reserve. I could go on, but the thrust of my argument is that while Rudi Lack was passionate about performing what he perceived as God’s call for his life, he often seems to lack deep cross cultural sympathy toward those he is delivering bibles to, or even those he is working with, unless they are of the same cultural background as himself. Quite unlike his friend and mentor Brother Andrew. All too often the book comes across as being about RUDI LACK and how God helped RUDI LACK deliver bibles, rather than being about God putting his deep love for lost humanity in Rudi Lack’s heart, which then expresses itself in delivering bibles to those without them. Splitting hairs maybe, but this callous attitude towards supposedly inferior cultures is one of the reasons why so many of the early africans hardened their hearts towards the gospel, since they could not readily tell the difference between the “colonial settler” and the “white missionary”. The book is a good read though.
I have just been checking the internet on YWAM Lausanne where Rudi & Elienne led my DTS. I was so honoured & thankful for their leadership & Rudi was a God fearing man with a love of Jesus & to make Him known. He carried the love of Jesus & had a heart of obedience. He soared & I remember sharing about my love for France & Hollywood that God had put in my heart & he said just go! Which I have & 30 years later I’m still going in & out of those 2 countries from Melbourne my base in Australia. He made my parents welcome when they visited from Australia & the base was one big happy family. He always said people will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another. He led a life of love- a heavenly perspective. Loving God, others & the nations. You were a great leader & intercessor. I know in heaven you will be still interceding with the saints.
Elizabeth Platt ( Pike) David, Josh, Damien & Luke xx
I first met Rudi Lack while staying as a guest at the YWAM centre in Einigen,
Switzerland.
His book “Breakthrough” was in draft form and he asked me to cast my eye over his manuscript. As a writer/editor, I was honoured to do so at each sunrise. Because the content was so exciting, I had to volitionally slow down to use my red pen.
It is with sad not that I have learnt of the demise of a great teacher Rudi. I was going thru my archives that I came across his book “101Leadership Principles” the book he gave me in All Nations Theological College Uganda, East Africa in 2006..Each time I have a leadership seminar to teacher, I refer to his authorship.Today I said I should trace for his ministry on net. May his soul rest in peace. We shall miss you. Pastor Joseph Mumbe. mumbej@yahoo.com