Churches of Christ do not accept the Shepherd of Hermas as canonical Scripture. The document is a 2nd-century Christian work of unknown authorship—traditionally attributed to Hermas, a figure mentioned in Romans 16:14—but it does not belong to the apostolic canon. While the Shepherd was valued in some early Christian communities and is sometimes cited in patristic literature, Churches of Christ recognize that it was never universally accepted as Scripture and that its origin is too late and its authority too questionable to warrant inclusion in the biblical canon.

The Restoration Movement's principle of adhering to Scripture alone excludes apocryphal and post-apostolic works, regardless of their spiritual value or historical significance. The Shepherd of Hermas is treated as a piece of early Christian literature that may be studied for historical context but not as an authoritative guide for doctrine and practice. Churches of Christ maintain the 27-book New Testament canon and do not expand it to include the Shepherd or other non-canonical texts, consistent with classical Protestant Christianity.