diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
index 4cf9775191..3357847ad2 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
  * @author Mark Fisher
  * @author Alexander Peters
  */
-public abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MessageHandler>, BeanFactoryAware {
+abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MessageHandler>, BeanFactoryAware {
 
 	private volatile MessageHandler handler;
 
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<M
 			if (this.targetObject != null) {
 				Assert.state(this.expression == null,
 						"The 'targetObject' and 'expression' properties are mutually exclusive.");
-				this.handler = this.createHandler(this.targetObject, this.targetMethodName);
+				this.handler = this.createMethodInvokingHandler(this.targetObject, this.targetMethodName);
 			}
 			else if (this.expression != null) {
 				this.handler = this.createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(this.expression);
@@ -133,13 +133,13 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<M
 	/**
 	 * Subclasses must implement this method to create the MessageHandler.
 	 */
-	protected abstract MessageHandler createHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName);
+	abstract MessageHandler createMethodInvokingHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName);
 
-	protected MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
+	MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
 		throw new UnsupportedOperationException(this.getClass().getName() + " does not support expressions.");
 	}
 
-	protected MessageHandler createDefaultHandler() {
+	MessageHandler createDefaultHandler() {
 		throw new IllegalArgumentException(
 			"Exactly one of the 'targetObject' or 'expression' property is required.");
 	}
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
index b6cef08b03..bd78e5b9b5 100644
--- 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
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ public class RouterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
+	MessageHandler createMethodInvokingHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
 		Assert.notNull(targetObject, "target object must not be null");
 		AbstractMessageRouter router = this.createRouter(targetObject, targetMethodName);
 		if (this.defaultOutputChannel != null) {
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/SplitterFactoryBean.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/SplitterFactoryBean.java
index 0df3c9670e..4452270ca8 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/SplitterFactoryBean.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/SplitterFactoryBean.java
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public class SplitterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
+	MessageHandler createMethodInvokingHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
 		if (targetObject instanceof AbstractMessageSplitter) {
 			return (AbstractMessageSplitter) targetObject;
 		}
@@ -41,12 +41,12 @@ public class SplitterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
+	MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
 		return new ExpressionEvaluatingSplitter(expression);
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createDefaultHandler() {
+	MessageHandler createDefaultHandler() {
 		return new DefaultMessageSplitter();
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/TransformerFactoryBean.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/TransformerFactoryBean.java
index 1165eff723..25f5bcaac1 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/TransformerFactoryBean.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/TransformerFactoryBean.java
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public class TransformerFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
+	MessageHandler createMethodInvokingHandler(Object targetObject, String targetMethodName) {
 		Assert.notNull(targetObject, "targetObject must not be null");
 		Transformer transformer = null;
 		if (targetObject instanceof Transformer) {
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public class TransformerFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	protected MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
+	MessageHandler createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(String expression) {
 		MessageProcessor processor = new ExpressionEvaluatingMessageProcessor(expression);
 		Transformer transformer = new MessageProcessingTransformer(processor);
 		return new MessageTransformingHandler(transformer);