diff --git a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig.go b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig.go
index 2fa480cb1d2..c9004afc473 100644
--- a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig.go
+++ b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig.go
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ var Schema = &cb.ConfigGroupSchema{
 
 // Peer config keys
 const (
-	// AnchorPeersKey is the cb.ConfigItem type key name for the AnchorPeers message
+	// AnchorPeersKey is the key name for the AnchorPeers ConfigValue
 	AnchorPeersKey = "AnchorPeers"
 )
 
diff --git a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_test.go b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_test.go
index 6ce20217b4f..3ba2b2a2724 100644
--- a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_test.go
+++ b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_test.go
@@ -37,8 +37,11 @@ func makeInvalidConfigValue() *cb.ConfigValue {
 	}
 }
 
-func itemToValue(configItem *cb.ConfigItem) (string, *cb.ConfigValue) {
-	return configItem.Key, &cb.ConfigValue{Value: configItem.Value}
+func groupToKeyValue(configGroup *cb.ConfigGroup) (string, *cb.ConfigValue) {
+	for key, value := range configGroup.Groups[GroupKey].Values {
+		return key, value
+	}
+	panic("No value encoded")
 }
 
 func TestInterface(t *testing.T) {
@@ -92,7 +95,7 @@ func TestAnchorPeers(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Should have failed on invalid message")
 	}
 
-	err = m.ProposeConfig(itemToValue(validMessage))
+	err = m.ProposeConfig(groupToKeyValue(validMessage))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Error applying valid config: %s", err)
 	}
diff --git a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_util.go b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_util.go
index 9075ab4c865..ba2f7d38d2c 100644
--- a/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_util.go
+++ b/common/configtx/handlers/application/sharedconfig_util.go
@@ -24,16 +24,21 @@ import (
 
 var defaultAnchorPeers = []*pb.AnchorPeer{}
 
-// TemplateAnchorPeers creates a headerless config item representing the anchor peers
-func TemplateAnchorPeers(anchorPeers []*pb.AnchorPeer) *cb.ConfigItem {
-	return &cb.ConfigItem{
-		Type:  cb.ConfigItem_PEER,
-		Key:   AnchorPeersKey,
-		Value: utils.MarshalOrPanic(&pb.AnchorPeers{AnchorPeers: anchorPeers}),
+func configGroup(key string, value []byte) *cb.ConfigGroup {
+	result := cb.NewConfigGroup()
+	result.Groups[GroupKey] = cb.NewConfigGroup()
+	result.Groups[GroupKey].Values[key] = &cb.ConfigValue{
+		Value: value,
 	}
+	return result
+}
+
+// TemplateAnchorPeers creates a headerless config item representing the anchor peers
+func TemplateAnchorPeers(anchorPeers []*pb.AnchorPeer) *cb.ConfigGroup {
+	return configGroup(AnchorPeersKey, utils.MarshalOrPanic(&pb.AnchorPeers{AnchorPeers: anchorPeers}))
 }
 
 // DefaultAnchorPeers creates a headerless config item for the default orderer addresses
-func DefaultAnchorPeers() *cb.ConfigItem {
+func DefaultAnchorPeers() *cb.ConfigGroup {
 	return TemplateAnchorPeers(defaultAnchorPeers)
 }
diff --git a/common/configtx/handlers/application/template_test.go b/common/configtx/handlers/application/template_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index ea6b4b14035..00000000000
--- a/common/configtx/handlers/application/template_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-/*
-Copyright IBM Corp. 2017 All Rights Reserved.
-
-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 application_test
-
-import (
-	"testing"
-
-	. "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/configtx/handlers/application"
-	configtxtest "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/configtx/test"
-)
-
-func TestTemplate(t *testing.T) {
-	configtxtest.WriteTemplate(configtxtest.PeerTemplateName, DefaultAnchorPeers())
-}
diff --git a/peer/channel/create.go b/peer/channel/create.go
index 1b4e3b3d782..902f837afd7 100644
--- a/peer/channel/create.go
+++ b/peer/channel/create.go
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func sendCreateChainTransaction(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 	//TODO this is a temporary hack until `orderer.template` and 'msp.template' is supplied from the CLI
 	oTemplate := configtxtest.OrdererTemplate()
 	mspTemplate := configtxtest.MSPTemplate()
-	gossTemplate := configtx.NewSimpleTemplate(configtxapplication.TemplateAnchorPeers(anchorPeers))
+	gossTemplate := configtx.NewSimpleTemplateNext(configtxapplication.TemplateAnchorPeers(anchorPeers))
 	chCrtTemp := configtx.NewCompositeTemplate(oTemplate, mspTemplate, gossTemplate)
 
 	signer, err := mspmgmt.GetLocalMSP().GetDefaultSigningIdentity()