diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryChannelResolver.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver.java
similarity index 65%
rename from spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryChannelResolver.java
rename to spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver.java
index 3254af6565..bc8007e53a 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryChannelResolver.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver.java
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.messaging.channel;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.BeansException;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.messaging.MessageChannel;
+import org.springframework.messaging.core.DestinationResolutionException;
 import org.springframework.messaging.core.DestinationResolver;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
@@ -25,12 +27,12 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  * @author Mark Fisher
  * @since 4.0
  */
-public class BeanFactoryChannelResolver implements DestinationResolver<MessageChannel> {
+public class BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver implements DestinationResolver<MessageChannel> {
 
 	private final BeanFactory beanFactory;
 
 
-	public BeanFactoryChannelResolver(BeanFactory beanFactory) {
+	public BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver(BeanFactory beanFactory) {
 		Assert.notNull(beanFactory, "beanFactory must not be null");
 		this.beanFactory = beanFactory;
 	}
@@ -38,7 +40,14 @@ public class BeanFactoryChannelResolver implements DestinationResolver<MessageCh
 
 	@Override
 	public MessageChannel resolveDestination(String name) {
-		return this.beanFactory.getBean(name, MessageChannel.class);
+		Assert.state(this.beanFactory != null, "BeanFactory is required");
+		try {
+			return this.beanFactory.getBean(name, MessageChannel.class);
+		}
+		catch (BeansException e) {
+			throw new DestinationResolutionException(
+					"failed to look up MessageChannel bean with name '" + name + "'", e);
+		}
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolver.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolver.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 612caa1d21..0000000000
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolver.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2002-2013 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.messaging.channel;
-
-import org.springframework.messaging.MessageChannel;
-
-/**
- * Strategy for resolving a name to a {@link MessageChannel}.
- *
- * @author Mark Fisher
- * @since 4.0
- */
-public interface ChannelResolver {
-
-	/**
-	 * Return the MessageChannel for the given name.
-	 */
-	MessageChannel resolveChannelName(String channelName);
-
-}
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolutionException.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolutionException.java
similarity index 81%
rename from spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolutionException.java
rename to spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolutionException.java
index 2ea44ac8ec..3f415d3426 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/channel/ChannelResolutionException.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolutionException.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-package org.springframework.messaging.channel;
+package org.springframework.messaging.core;
 
 import org.springframework.messaging.MessagingException;
 
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ import org.springframework.messaging.MessagingException;
  * @since 4.0
  */
 @SuppressWarnings("serial")
-public class ChannelResolutionException extends MessagingException {
+public class DestinationResolutionException extends MessagingException {
 
 	/**
 	 * Create a new ChannelResolutionException.
 	 * @param description the description
 	 */
-	public ChannelResolutionException(String description) {
+	public DestinationResolutionException(String description) {
 		super(description);
 	}
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ public class ChannelResolutionException extends MessagingException {
 	 * @param description the description
 	 * @param cause the root cause (if any)
 	 */
-	public ChannelResolutionException(String description, Throwable cause) {
+	public DestinationResolutionException(String description, Throwable cause) {
 		super(description, cause);
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolver.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolver.java
index 19d3a077bc..3158bd290a 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolver.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/DestinationResolver.java
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ package org.springframework.messaging.core;
  */
 public interface DestinationResolver<D> {
 
-	D resolveDestination(String name);
+
+	/**
+	 * @param name
+	 * @return
+	 * @throws DestinationResolutionException
+	 */
+	D resolveDestination(String name) throws DestinationResolutionException;
 
 }
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/GenericMessagingTemplate.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/GenericMessagingTemplate.java
index 12bd2498c2..de18bf79b5 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/GenericMessagingTemplate.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/core/GenericMessagingTemplate.java
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import org.springframework.messaging.MessageChannel;
 import org.springframework.messaging.MessageDeliveryException;
 import org.springframework.messaging.MessageHeaders;
 import org.springframework.messaging.PollableChannel;
-import org.springframework.messaging.channel.BeanFactoryChannelResolver;
+import org.springframework.messaging.channel.BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver;
 import org.springframework.messaging.support.MessageBuilder;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class GenericMessagingTemplate extends AbstractDestinationResolvingMessag
 
 	@Override
 	public void setBeanFactory(BeanFactory beanFactory) throws BeansException {
-		super.setDestinationResolver(new BeanFactoryChannelResolver(beanFactory));
+		super.setDestinationResolver(new BeanFactoryMessageChannelDestinationResolver(beanFactory));
 	}