diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
index 1d7904aebb..ed81d84bf2 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.handler.AbstractMessageHandler;
 import org.springframework.integration.handler.AbstractReplyProducingMessageHandler;
+import org.springframework.integration.handler.MessageProcessor;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageHandler;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
@@ -124,7 +125,12 @@ abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MessageH
 			if (this.targetObject != null) {
 				Assert.state(this.expression == null,
 						"The 'targetObject' and 'expression' properties are mutually exclusive.");
-				this.handler = this.createMethodInvokingHandler(this.targetObject, this.targetMethodName);
+				if (this.targetObject instanceof MessageProcessor) {
+					this.handler = this.createMessageProcessingHandler((MessageProcessor) this.targetObject);
+				}
+				else {
+					this.handler = this.createMethodInvokingHandler(this.targetObject, this.targetMethodName);
+				}
 			}
 			else if (this.expression != null) {
 				this.handler = this.createExpressionEvaluatingHandler(this.expression);
@@ -156,6 +162,10 @@ abstract class AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MessageH
 		throw new UnsupportedOperationException(this.getClass().getName() + " does not support expressions.");
 	}
 
+	MessageHandler createMessageProcessingHandler(MessageProcessor processor) {
+		return this.createMethodInvokingHandler(processor, "processMessage");
+	}
+
 	MessageHandler createDefaultHandler() {
 		throw new IllegalArgumentException(
 			"Exactly one of the 'targetObject' or 'expression' property is required.");
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ServiceActivatorFactoryBean.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ServiceActivatorFactoryBean.java
index 236d1de9c4..7d3b6ad594 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ServiceActivatorFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/ServiceActivatorFactoryBean.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.springframework.integration.config;
 
 import org.springframework.integration.handler.ExpressionEvaluatingMessageProcessor;
+import org.springframework.integration.handler.MessageProcessor;
 import org.springframework.integration.handler.ServiceActivatingHandler;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageHandler;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
@@ -50,6 +51,11 @@ public class ServiceActivatorFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBe
 		return this.configureHandler(new ServiceActivatingHandler(processor));
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	MessageHandler createMessageProcessingHandler(MessageProcessor processor) {
+		return this.configureHandler(new ServiceActivatingHandler(processor));
+	}
+
 	private ServiceActivatingHandler configureHandler(ServiceActivatingHandler handler) {
 		if (this.sendTimeout != null) {
 			handler.setSendTimeout(sendTimeout);
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser.java
index 75565670c2..a98bebef1a 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser.java
@@ -16,10 +16,13 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.config.xml;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.BeanComponentDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.xml.DomUtils;
+
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 /**
@@ -41,6 +44,7 @@ abstract class AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser extends AbstractConsumer
 		String expression = element.getAttribute(EXPRESSION_ATTRIBUTE);
 		boolean hasRef = StringUtils.hasText(ref);
 		boolean hasExpression = StringUtils.hasText(expression);
+		Element scriptElement = DomUtils.getChildElementByTagName(element, "script");
 		if (innerDefinition != null) {
 			if (hasRef || hasExpression) {
 				parserContext.getReaderContext().error(
@@ -55,6 +59,10 @@ abstract class AbstractDelegatingConsumerEndpointParser extends AbstractConsumer
 		else if (hasExpression) {
 			builder.addPropertyValue("expression", expression);
 		}
+		else if (scriptElement != null) {
+			BeanDefinition scriptBeanDefinition = parserContext.getDelegate().parseCustomElement(scriptElement, builder.getBeanDefinition());
+			builder.addPropertyValue("targetObject", scriptBeanDefinition);
+		}
 		else if (!this.hasDefaultOption()) {
 			parserContext.getReaderContext().error("Exactly one of the 'ref' attribute, 'expression' attribute, " +
 					"or inner bean (<bean/>) definition is required for element " +
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/spring-integration-2.0.xsd b/spring-integration-core/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/spring-integration-2.0.xsd
index 143825667f..9fd7ea4217 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/spring-integration-2.0.xsd
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/spring-integration-2.0.xsd
@@ -2229,10 +2229,13 @@
 	<xsd:complexType name="innerEndpointDefinitionAware">
 		<xsd:complexContent>
 			<xsd:extension base="handlerEndpointType">
-				<xsd:all>
-					<xsd:element ref="beans:bean" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" />
+				<xsd:choice minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="2">
 					<xsd:element name="poller" type="innerPollerType" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" />
-				</xsd:all>
+					<xsd:choice minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1">
+						<xsd:element ref="beans:bean" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" />
+						<xsd:any namespace="##other" processContents="strict" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" />
+					</xsd:choice>
+				</xsd:choice>
 			</xsd:extension>
 		</xsd:complexContent>
 	</xsd:complexType>