diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractConsumerEndpointParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractConsumerEndpointParser.java
index 4318ffef3e..d5b109cfae 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractConsumerEndpointParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractConsumerEndpointParser.java
@@ -16,22 +16,15 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.config.xml;
 
-import java.util.List;
-
-import org.w3c.dom.Element;
-
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinitionHolder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionReaderUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.AbstractBeanDefinitionParser;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParserDelegate;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
-import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.xml.DomUtils;
+import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 /**
  * Base class parser for elements that create Message Endpoints.
@@ -109,23 +102,4 @@ public abstract class AbstractConsumerEndpointParser extends AbstractBeanDefinit
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(builder, element, "auto-startup");
 		return builder.getBeanDefinition();
 	}
-
-	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-	protected BeanDefinition parseInnerHandlerDefinition(Element element, ParserContext parserContext){
-		// parses out inner bean definition for concrete implementation if defined
-		List<Element> childElements = DomUtils.getChildElementsByTagName(element, "bean");
-		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = null;
-		if (childElements != null && childElements.size() == 1){
-			Element beanElement = childElements.get(0);
-			BeanDefinitionParserDelegate delegate = parserContext.getDelegate();
-			innerDefinition = delegate.parseBeanDefinitionElement(beanElement).getBeanDefinition();
-		}
-		
-		String ref = element.getAttribute(REF_ATTRIBUTE);
-		Assert.isTrue(!(StringUtils.hasText(ref) && innerDefinition != null), "Ambiguous definition. Inner bean " + 
-				(innerDefinition == null ? innerDefinition : innerDefinition.getBeanClassName()) + " declaration and \"ref\" " + ref + 
-		       " are not allowed together.");
-		return innerDefinition;
-	}
-
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AggregatorParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AggregatorParser.java
index cef9d7d8db..1e9cc98794 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AggregatorParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AggregatorParser.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class AggregatorParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 
 	@Override
 	protected BeanDefinitionBuilder parseHandler(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		String ref = element.getAttribute(REF_ATTRIBUTE);
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder;
 		
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/DefaultRouterParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/DefaultRouterParser.java
index a55d0ce666..df91d4da46 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/DefaultRouterParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/DefaultRouterParser.java
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public class DefaultRouterParser extends AbstractRouterParser {
 
 	@Override
 	protected void parseRouter(Element element, BeanDefinitionBuilder builder, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerDefinition 	= this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerDefinition 	= IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		if (innerDefinition != null){
 			builder.addPropertyValue("targetObject", innerDefinition);
 		} else {
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/FilterParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/FilterParser.java
index b636b85319..6f1fdced11 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/FilterParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/FilterParser.java
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public class FilterParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 	}
 
 	private String parseSelector(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		String ref = null;
 		if (innerHandlerDefinition == null){
 			ref = element.getAttribute("ref");
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/IntegrationNamespaceUtils.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/IntegrationNamespaceUtils.java
index 3f28cf52c0..518b8fdd92 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/IntegrationNamespaceUtils.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/IntegrationNamespaceUtils.java
@@ -16,15 +16,20 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.config.xml;
 
+import java.util.List;
+
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinitionHolder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionReaderUtils;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParserDelegate;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
 import org.springframework.core.Conventions;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.xml.DomUtils;
 
 /**
  * Shared utility methods for integration namespace parsers.
@@ -36,6 +41,10 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public abstract class IntegrationNamespaceUtils {
 
 	static final String BASE_PACKAGE = "org.springframework.integration";
+	static final String REF_ATTRIBUTE = "ref";
+	static final String METHOD_ATTRIBUTE = "method";
+	static final String ORDER = "order";
+	
 
 
 	/**
@@ -173,4 +182,21 @@ public abstract class IntegrationNamespaceUtils {
 		targetBuilder.addPropertyReference("pollerMetadata", pollerMetadataRef);
 	}
 
+	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+	public static BeanDefinition parseInnerHandlerDefinition(Element element, ParserContext parserContext){
+		// parses out inner bean definition for concrete implementation if defined
+		List<Element> childElements = DomUtils.getChildElementsByTagName(element, "bean");
+		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = null;
+		if (childElements != null && childElements.size() == 1){
+			Element beanElement = childElements.get(0);
+			BeanDefinitionParserDelegate delegate = parserContext.getDelegate();
+			innerDefinition = delegate.parseBeanDefinitionElement(beanElement).getBeanDefinition();
+		}
+		
+		String ref = element.getAttribute(REF_ATTRIBUTE);
+		Assert.isTrue(!(StringUtils.hasText(ref) && innerDefinition != null), "Ambiguous definition. Inner bean " + 
+				(innerDefinition == null ? innerDefinition : innerDefinition.getBeanClassName()) + " declaration and \"ref\" " + ref + 
+		       " are not allowed together.");
+		return innerDefinition;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/ServiceActivatorParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/ServiceActivatorParser.java
index 4511c27626..33bfb1ed63 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/ServiceActivatorParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/ServiceActivatorParser.java
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public class ServiceActivatorParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 
 	@Override
 	protected BeanDefinitionBuilder parseHandler(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerHandlerDefinition = IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(
 				IntegrationNamespaceUtils.BASE_PACKAGE + ".handler.ServiceActivatingHandler");
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/SplitterParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/SplitterParser.java
index 203516bdc0..db8b79837f 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/SplitterParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/SplitterParser.java
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public class SplitterParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 
 	@Override
 	protected BeanDefinitionBuilder parseHandler(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(
 				IntegrationNamespaceUtils.BASE_PACKAGE + ".config.SplitterFactoryBean");
 		if (innerDefinition != null){
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/TransformerParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/TransformerParser.java
index 0de4af65cf..b4c6e00fe3 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/TransformerParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/TransformerParser.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class TransformerParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 
 	@Override
 	protected BeanDefinitionBuilder parseHandler(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
-		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = this.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
+		BeanDefinition innerDefinition = IntegrationNamespaceUtils.parseInnerHandlerDefinition(element, parserContext);
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(
 				IntegrationNamespaceUtils.BASE_PACKAGE + ".config.TransformerFactoryBean");