Sometimes, circumstances scatter Christians into small groups or isolate them from other believers and from the ministry that Jesus Christ provides to equip and encourage their growth. However, if sheep choose to be without a shepherd, they reject one of the Chief Shepherd's major gifts to His flock, willfully stepping outside His established order. Christ has gifted human shepherds to aid in bringing all the sheep to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Our Savior oversees these under-shepherds, holding them accountable for their failures, which occur because they are human. To purposefully become a sheep without a shepherd is to place oneself in serious danger, likely turning to one's own way, developing bad spiritual habits, becoming stuck in a rut, falling prey to satan, and ultimately becoming malnourished and spiritually diseased. Christ establishes that sheep have the responsibility to submit to godly shepherds, not considering them infallible, but comparing their instruction with what God has already established in His Word. Sheep are to follow a shepherd's faith only as it complements and corresponds with the teachings of Jesus, obeying God rather than men whenever the two are not in alignment. When shepherds let their attention slip from the Good Shepherd, they may elevate themselves, leading to a tendency to use and abuse the sheep rather than tend and feed them. Despite the chaos in the greater church, none of it is out of the Shepherd's control. He oversees the under-shepherds, working in their lives to ensure that His will is fulfilled. He has laid down His life for His sheep, and not one who looks to Him will be lost. If we follow the Shepherd's guidance, continually looking to Him for direction, He will lead us to the best pastures.

Although Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd, He has appointed under-shepherds to watch over His physical and spiritual flock, from the days of ancient Israel through the New Covenant church era and into the Millennium. The Chief Shepherd provides the pattern for His under-shepherds, gifting them to carry out their responsibilities in a way that reflects His own shepherding. Even though under-shepherds do not always perfectly emulate the Good Shepherd, He has established their roles and offices, specifically gifting them to serve in this way. This is the order that Jesus Christ has ordained, though there is a carnal tendency to either abuse or rebel against this order by becoming overly dependent on an under-shepherd or rejecting human shepherds entirely, believing one can find their own food and determine their own path. False shepherds, not appointed by God, also exist, described by Jesus as thieves and robbers who come to steal, kill, and destroy, though their actions may not be immediately apparent. Hirelings, whose care is not for the sheep but for their own safety, abandon the sheep when they need help the most. God pronounces woe on appointed shepherds who become derelict, destroying and scattering the sheep of His pasture, leading them astray, and failing to attend to them. Some shepherds feed themselves rather than the flock, ruling with cruelty and force instead of strengthening, healing, or seeking the lost. There is grave danger when sheep relinquish all responsibility to an under-shepherd, becoming comfortable with spiritual immaturity by not testing all things or discerning good from evil. A sheep focused more on an under-shepherd than the Chief Shepherd will be spiritually hobbled. Conversely, the condition of sheep without a shepherd is consistently negative and harmful, often due to being driven away or scattered by abuse or neglect. In such cases, the sheep can only beseech the Good Shepherd to gather them to the under-shepherd of His choosing.

Christians are often likened to sheep, with ministers serving as shepherds. Sheep naturally assemble in flocks and follow a leader, allowing a single shepherd to manage hundreds effectively. However, sheep require constant care due to their habitual nature. Left alone, they will wear trails into ruts, overgraze fields into dust bowls, and pollute pastures with disease and parasites. Thus, shepherds must continually guide them to fresh pastures, highlighting the critical importance of a shepherd's guidance. A shepherd is one who herds, guards, and cares for sheep, and this role carries clear spiritual significance. The Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, has ordained various human men to serve as shepherds to His flock. These shepherds are tasked with feeding the flock and protecting it from grievous wolves or false shepherds who seek to turn the sheep away from God's truth, some even emerging from within the flock itself. Sheep recognize their true shepherd by his voice. In an enclosure where multiple flocks mix at night, the shepherd calls his sheep by name in the morning, and they separate from the others to follow him. The sheep know and respond to his voice, ignoring the voices of strangers. This voice represents not just sound but a message of revelation and enlightenment. A true and faithful shepherd preaches a message that his sheep will hear and immediately follow. To discern if a shepherd's message is true, the sheep must test the spirits. Only those of God's flock can truly hear and understand the message of His ministers. The world may acclaim a worldly shepherd, but God's sheep will recognize the spirit of truth over the spirit of error through the shepherd's message. The shepherd's role is to oversee the flock in all aspects, leading them down the paths of righteousness and away from enclosures where they mix with other sheep, guiding them with a voice that opens their ears to the right path.