diff --git a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/config/WebServiceHandlerParser.java b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/config/WebServiceHandlerParser.java
index 2206145b21..fa7c43d41a 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/config/WebServiceHandlerParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/config/WebServiceHandlerParser.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package org.springframework.integration.ws.config;
 
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.RuntimeBeanReference;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParser;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ import org.springframework.integration.ConfigurationException;
 import org.springframework.integration.ws.handler.MarshallingWebServiceHandler;
 import org.springframework.integration.ws.handler.SimpleWebServiceHandler;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.ws.WebServiceMessageFactory;
+import org.springframework.ws.client.core.SourceExtractor;
 
 /**
  * Parser for the <ws-handler/> element. 
@@ -67,17 +70,22 @@ public class WebServiceHandlerParser extends AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParser
 		else {
 			String sourceExtractorRef = element.getAttribute("source-extractor");
 			if (StringUtils.hasText(sourceExtractorRef)) {
-				builder.addConstructorArgReference(sourceExtractorRef);
+				builder.getBeanDefinition().getConstructorArgumentValues().addGenericArgumentValue(
+					new RuntimeBeanReference(sourceExtractorRef), SourceExtractor.class.getName());
 			}
+			else {
+				builder.addConstructorArgValue(null);
+			}
+		}
+		String messageFactoryRef = element.getAttribute("message-factory");
+		if (StringUtils.hasText(messageFactoryRef)) {
+			builder.getBeanDefinition().getConstructorArgumentValues().addGenericArgumentValue(
+					new RuntimeBeanReference(messageFactoryRef), WebServiceMessageFactory.class.getName());
 		}
 		String requestCallbackRef = element.getAttribute("request-callback");
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(requestCallbackRef)) {
 			builder.addPropertyReference("requestCallback", requestCallbackRef);
 		}
-		String messageFactoryRef = element.getAttribute("message-factory");
-		if (StringUtils.hasText(messageFactoryRef)) {
-			builder.addPropertyReference("messageFactory", messageFactoryRef);
-		}
 		String faultMessageResolverRef = element.getAttribute("fault-message-resolver");
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(faultMessageResolverRef)) {
 			builder.addPropertyReference("faultMessageResolver", faultMessageResolverRef);
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/AbstractWebServiceHandler.java b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/AbstractWebServiceHandler.java
index 3330833e82..eb208e00ab 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/AbstractWebServiceHandler.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/AbstractWebServiceHandler.java
@@ -41,13 +41,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractWebServiceHandler implements MessageHandler {
 	public static final String SOAP_ACTION_PROPERTY_KEY = "_ws.soapAction";
 
 
-	private final WebServiceTemplate webServiceTemplate = new WebServiceTemplate();
+	private final WebServiceTemplate webServiceTemplate;
 
 	private volatile WebServiceMessageCallback requestCallback;
 
 
-	public AbstractWebServiceHandler(URI uri) {
+	public AbstractWebServiceHandler(URI uri, WebServiceMessageFactory messageFactory) {
 		Assert.notNull(uri, "URI must not be null");
+		this.webServiceTemplate = (messageFactory != null) ?
+				new WebServiceTemplate(messageFactory) : new WebServiceTemplate();
 		this.webServiceTemplate.setDefaultUri(uri.toString());
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/MarshallingWebServiceHandler.java b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/MarshallingWebServiceHandler.java
index 44b8b8c445..7190650655 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/MarshallingWebServiceHandler.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/MarshallingWebServiceHandler.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import java.net.URI;
 import org.springframework.oxm.Marshaller;
 import org.springframework.oxm.Unmarshaller;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.ws.WebServiceMessageFactory;
 import org.springframework.ws.client.core.WebServiceMessageCallback;
 
 /**
@@ -32,23 +33,31 @@ import org.springframework.ws.client.core.WebServiceMessageCallback;
  */
 public class MarshallingWebServiceHandler extends AbstractWebServiceHandler {
 
-	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller, Unmarshaller unmarshaller) {
-		super(uri);
+	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller, Unmarshaller unmarshaller, WebServiceMessageFactory messageFactory) {
+		super(uri, messageFactory);
 		Assert.notNull(marshaller, "marshaller must not be null");
 		Assert.notNull(unmarshaller, "unmarshaller must not be null");
 		this.getWebServiceTemplate().setMarshaller(marshaller);
 		this.getWebServiceTemplate().setUnmarshaller(unmarshaller);
 	}
 
-	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller) {
-		super(uri);
+	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller, Unmarshaller unmarshaller) {
+		this(uri, marshaller, unmarshaller, null);
+	}
+
+	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller, WebServiceMessageFactory messageFactory) {
+		super(uri, messageFactory);
 		Assert.notNull(marshaller, "marshaller must not be null");
 		Assert.isInstanceOf(Unmarshaller.class, marshaller,
 				"Marshaller [" + marshaller + "] does not implement the Unmarshaller interface. " +
 				"Please set an Unmarshaller explicitly by using the " + this.getClass().getName() +
 				"(String uri, Marshaller marshaller, Unmarshaller unmarshaller) constructor.");
 		this.getWebServiceTemplate().setMarshaller(marshaller);
-		this.getWebServiceTemplate().setUnmarshaller((Unmarshaller) marshaller);
+		this.getWebServiceTemplate().setUnmarshaller((Unmarshaller) marshaller);		
+	}
+
+	public MarshallingWebServiceHandler(URI uri, Marshaller marshaller) {
+		this(uri, marshaller, (WebServiceMessageFactory) null);
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/SimpleWebServiceHandler.java b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/SimpleWebServiceHandler.java
index 72da58be61..0d7305c156 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/SimpleWebServiceHandler.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration.ws/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/ws/handler/SimpleWebServiceHandler.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import javax.xml.transform.dom.DOMResult;
 import javax.xml.transform.dom.DOMSource;
 
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessagingException;
+import org.springframework.ws.WebServiceMessageFactory;
 import org.springframework.ws.client.core.SourceExtractor;
 import org.springframework.ws.client.core.WebServiceMessageCallback;
 import org.springframework.xml.transform.StringResult;
@@ -42,11 +43,15 @@ public class SimpleWebServiceHandler extends AbstractWebServiceHandler {
 
 
 	public SimpleWebServiceHandler(URI uri) {
-		this(uri, null);
+		this(uri, null, null);
 	}
 
 	public SimpleWebServiceHandler(URI uri, SourceExtractor sourceExtractor) {
-		super(uri);
+		this(uri, sourceExtractor, (WebServiceMessageFactory) null);
+	}
+
+	public SimpleWebServiceHandler(URI uri, SourceExtractor sourceExtractor, WebServiceMessageFactory messageFactory) {
+		super(uri, messageFactory);
 		this.sourceExtractor = (sourceExtractor != null) ? sourceExtractor : new DefaultSourceExtractor();
 	}