diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..205ca179b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2002-2008 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.integration.config;
+
+import org.springframework.integration.channel.ChannelResolver;
+import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageChannel;
+import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageConsumer;
+import org.springframework.integration.router.AbstractMessageRouter;
+import org.springframework.integration.router.MethodInvokingRouter;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+
+/**
+ * Factory bean for creating a Message Router.
+ * 
+ * @author Mark Fisher
+ */
+public class RouterFactoryBean extends AbstractConsumerFactoryBean {
+
+	private volatile ChannelResolver channelResolver;
+
+	private volatile MessageChannel defaultOutputChannel;
+
+
+	public void setChannelResolver(ChannelResolver channelResolver) {
+		this.channelResolver = channelResolver;
+	}
+
+	public void setDefaultOutputChannel(MessageChannel defaultOutputChannel) {
+		this.defaultOutputChannel = defaultOutputChannel;
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	protected MessageConsumer createConsumer(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
+		Assert.notNull(targetObject, "target object must not be null");
+		AbstractMessageRouter router = this.createRouter(targetObject, targetMethodName);
+		if (this.defaultOutputChannel != null) {
+			router.setDefaultOutputChannel(this.defaultOutputChannel);
+		}
+		return router;
+	}
+
+	private AbstractMessageRouter createRouter(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
+		if (targetObject instanceof AbstractMessageRouter) {
+			Assert.isTrue(!StringUtils.hasText(targetMethodName),
+					"target method should not be provided when the target " +
+					"object is an implementation of AbstractMessageRouter");
+			return (AbstractMessageRouter) targetObject;
+		}
+		MethodInvokingRouter router = (StringUtils.hasText(targetMethodName))
+				? new MethodInvokingRouter(targetObject, targetMethodName)
+				: new MethodInvokingRouter(targetObject);
+		if (this.channelResolver != null) {
+			router.setChannelResolver(this.channelResolver);
+		}
+		return router;
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/RouterParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/RouterParser.java
index dda917d424..02d1145f89 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/RouterParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/RouterParser.java
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionReaderUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
 import org.springframework.integration.channel.BeanFactoryChannelResolver;
-import org.springframework.integration.router.MethodInvokingRouter;
+import org.springframework.integration.config.RouterFactoryBean;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@ public class RouterParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParser {
 	protected BeanDefinitionBuilder parseConsumer(Element element, ParserContext parserContext) {
 		String ref = element.getAttribute(REF_ATTRIBUTE);
 		Assert.hasText(ref, "The '" + REF_ATTRIBUTE + "' attribute is required.");
-		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(MethodInvokingRouter.class);
-		builder.addConstructorArgReference(ref);
+		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(RouterFactoryBean.class);
+		builder.addPropertyReference("targetObject", ref);
 		if (StringUtils.hasText(element.getAttribute(METHOD_ATTRIBUTE))) {
 			String method = element.getAttribute(METHOD_ATTRIBUTE);
-			builder.addConstructorArgValue(method);
+			builder.addPropertyValue("targetMethodName", method);
 		}
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder resolverBuilder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(BeanFactoryChannelResolver.class);
 		String resolverBeanName = BeanDefinitionReaderUtils.registerWithGeneratedName(
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/router/MethodInvokingRouter.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/router/MethodInvokingRouter.java
index 03b77b92c6..b03d0647ec 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/router/MethodInvokingRouter.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/router/MethodInvokingRouter.java
@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@ import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
+import org.springframework.integration.annotation.Router;
 import org.springframework.integration.channel.ChannelResolver;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.Message;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.MessagingException;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageMappingMethodInvoker;
+import org.springframework.integration.util.DefaultMethodResolver;
+import org.springframework.integration.util.MethodResolver;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
@@ -41,6 +44,8 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  */
 public class MethodInvokingRouter extends AbstractMessageRouter implements InitializingBean {
 
+	private final MethodResolver methodResolver = new DefaultMethodResolver(Router.class);
+
 	private final MessageMappingMethodInvoker invoker;
 
 	private volatile ChannelResolver channelResolver;
@@ -54,6 +59,14 @@ public class MethodInvokingRouter extends AbstractMessageRouter implements Initi
 		this.invoker = new MessageMappingMethodInvoker(object, methodName);
 	}
 
+	public MethodInvokingRouter(Object object) {
+		Assert.notNull(object, "object must not be null");
+		Method method = this.methodResolver.findMethod(object); 
+		Assert.notNull(method, "unable to resolve Router method on target class ["
+				+ object.getClass() + "]");
+		this.invoker = new MessageMappingMethodInvoker(object, method);
+	}
+
 
 	/**
 	 * Provide the {@link ChannelResolver} strategy to use for methods that
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
index 846fb0b006..ab31cc56c1 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
@@ -17,15 +17,21 @@
 package org.springframework.integration.router.config;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Collections;
+
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.integration.annotation.Router;
 import org.springframework.integration.channel.PollableChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.Message;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.StringMessage;
+import org.springframework.integration.router.AbstractMessageRouter;
 
 /**
  * @author Mark Fisher
@@ -66,4 +72,60 @@ public class RouterParserTests {
 		assertEquals("99", result.getPayload());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void refOnlyForAbstractMessageRouterImplementation() {
+		ClassPathXmlApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
+				"routerParserTests.xml", this.getClass());
+		context.start();
+		MessageChannel input = (MessageChannel) context.getBean("inputForAbstractMessageRouterImplementation");
+		PollableChannel output = (PollableChannel) context.getBean("output3");
+		input.send(new StringMessage("test-implementation"));
+		Message<?> result = output.receive(0);
+		assertNotNull(result);
+		assertEquals("test-implementation", result.getPayload());		
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void refOnlyForAnnotatedObject() {
+		ClassPathXmlApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
+				"routerParserTests.xml", this.getClass());
+		context.start();
+		MessageChannel input = (MessageChannel) context.getBean("inputForAnnotatedRouter");
+		PollableChannel output = (PollableChannel) context.getBean("output4");
+		input.send(new StringMessage("test-annotation"));
+		Message<?> result = output.receive(0);
+		assertNotNull(result);
+		assertEquals("test-annotation", result.getPayload());	
+	}
+
+
+	public static class TestRouterImplementation extends AbstractMessageRouter {
+
+		private final MessageChannel channel;
+
+		public TestRouterImplementation(MessageChannel channel) {
+			this.channel = channel;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		protected Collection<MessageChannel> determineTargetChannels(Message<?> message) {
+			return Collections.singletonList(this.channel);
+		}
+	}
+
+
+	public static class AnnotatedTestRouterBean {
+
+		private final MessageChannel channel;
+
+		public AnnotatedTestRouterBean(MessageChannel channel) {
+			this.channel = channel;
+		}
+
+		@Router
+		public MessageChannel test(String payload) {
+			return this.channel;
+		}
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
index 8d42c4566c..ef6aa6788a 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
@@ -33,4 +33,28 @@
 
 	<beans:bean id="pojo" class="org.springframework.integration.router.config.TestRouter"/>
 
+	<channel id="output3">
+		<queue capacity="1"/>
+	</channel>
+
+	<channel id="inputForAbstractMessageRouterImplementation"/>
+
+	<router input-channel="inputForAbstractMessageRouterImplementation" ref="implementation"/>
+
+	<beans:bean id="implementation" class="org.springframework.integration.router.config.RouterParserTests$TestRouterImplementation">
+		<beans:constructor-arg ref="output3"/>
+	</beans:bean>
+
+	<channel id="output4">
+		<queue capacity="1"/>
+	</channel>
+
+	<channel id="inputForAnnotatedRouter"/>
+
+	<router input-channel="inputForAnnotatedRouter" ref="annotated"/>
+
+	<beans:bean id="annotated" class="org.springframework.integration.router.config.RouterParserTests$AnnotatedTestRouterBean">
+		<beans:constructor-arg ref="output4"/>
+	</beans:bean>
+
 </beans:beans>