diff --git a/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder.go b/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder.go
index bd6712e9a83..3ff9111fcde 100644
--- a/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder.go
+++ b/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	pb "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/peer"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/utils"
 
+	"github.com/golang/protobuf/proto"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
@@ -274,6 +275,72 @@ func NewConsortiumGroup(conf *genesisconfig.Consortium) (*cb.ConfigGroup, error)
 	return consortiumGroup, nil
 }
 
+// NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate generates a ConfigUpdate which can be sent to the orderer to create a new channel.  Optionally, the channel group of the
+// ordering system channel may be passed in, and the resulting ConfigUpdate will extract the appropriate versions from this file.
+func NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate(channelID, consortiumName string, orgs []string, orderingSystemChannelGroup *cb.ConfigGroup) (*cb.ConfigUpdate, error) {
+	var applicationGroup *cb.ConfigGroup
+	channelGroupVersion := uint64(0)
+
+	if orderingSystemChannelGroup != nil {
+		// In the case that a ordering system channel definition was provided, pull the appropriate versions
+		if orderingSystemChannelGroup.Groups == nil {
+			return nil, errors.New("missing all channel groups")
+		}
+
+		consortiums, ok := orderingSystemChannelGroup.Groups[channelconfig.ConsortiumsGroupKey]
+		if !ok {
+			return nil, errors.New("bad consortiums group")
+		}
+
+		consortium, ok := consortiums.Groups[consortiumName]
+		if !ok || (len(orgs) > 0 && consortium.Groups == nil) {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("bad consortium: %s", consortiumName)
+		}
+
+		applicationGroup = cb.NewConfigGroup()
+		for _, org := range orgs {
+			orgGroup, ok := consortium.Groups[org]
+			if !ok {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("missing organization: %s", org)
+			}
+			applicationGroup.Groups[org] = &cb.ConfigGroup{Version: orgGroup.Version}
+		}
+
+		channelGroupVersion = orderingSystemChannelGroup.Version
+	} else {
+		// Otherwise assume the orgs have not been modified
+		applicationGroup = cb.NewConfigGroup()
+		for _, org := range orgs {
+			applicationGroup.Groups[org] = &cb.ConfigGroup{}
+		}
+	}
+
+	rSet := cb.NewConfigGroup()
+	rSet.Version = channelGroupVersion
+
+	// add the consortium name to the rSet
+
+	addValue(rSet, channelconfig.ConsortiumValue(consortiumName), "") // TODO, this emulates the old behavior, but is it desirable?
+
+	// create the new channel's application group
+
+	rSet.Groups[channelconfig.ApplicationGroupKey] = applicationGroup
+
+	wSet := proto.Clone(rSet).(*cb.ConfigGroup)
+
+	applicationGroup = wSet.Groups[channelconfig.ApplicationGroupKey]
+	applicationGroup.Version = 1
+	applicationGroup.Policies = make(map[string]*cb.ConfigPolicy)
+	addImplicitMetaPolicyDefaults(applicationGroup)
+	applicationGroup.ModPolicy = channelconfig.AdminsPolicyKey
+
+	return &cb.ConfigUpdate{
+		ChannelId: channelID,
+		ReadSet:   rSet,
+		WriteSet:  wSet,
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // Bootstrapper is a wrapper around NewChannelConfigGroup which can produce genesis blocks
 type Bootstrapper struct {
 	channelGroup *cb.ConfigGroup
diff --git a/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder_test.go b/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder_test.go
index f28c455765b..9f4be94c106 100644
--- a/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder_test.go
+++ b/common/tools/configtxgen/encoder/encoder_test.go
@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/channelconfig"
+	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/configtx"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/flogging"
 	genesisconfig "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/tools/configtxgen/localconfig"
 	cb "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/common"
 
+	"github.com/golang/protobuf/proto"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
@@ -61,3 +63,80 @@ func TestConfigParsing(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGoodChannelCreateConfigUpdate(t *testing.T) {
+	config := genesisconfig.Load(genesisconfig.SampleDevModeSoloProfile)
+	group, err := NewChannelGroup(config)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, group)
+
+	configUpdate, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}, group)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, configUpdate)
+
+	defaultConfigUpdate, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}, nil)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, configUpdate)
+
+	assert.True(t, proto.Equal(configUpdate, defaultConfigUpdate), "the config used has had no updates, so should equal default")
+}
+
+func TestNegativeChannelCreateConfigUpdate(t *testing.T) {
+	config := genesisconfig.Load(genesisconfig.SampleDevModeSoloProfile)
+	group, err := NewChannelGroup(config)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, group)
+
+	t.Run("NoGroups", func(t *testing.T) {
+		channelGroup := proto.Clone(group).(*cb.ConfigGroup)
+		channelGroup.Groups = nil
+		_, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}, channelGroup)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Regexp(t, "missing all channel groups", err.Error())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("NoConsortiumsGroup", func(t *testing.T) {
+		channelGroup := proto.Clone(group).(*cb.ConfigGroup)
+		delete(channelGroup.Groups, channelconfig.ConsortiumsGroupKey)
+		_, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}, channelGroup)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Regexp(t, "bad consortiums group", err.Error())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("NoConsortiums", func(t *testing.T) {
+		channelGroup := proto.Clone(group).(*cb.ConfigGroup)
+		delete(channelGroup.Groups[channelconfig.ConsortiumsGroupKey].Groups, genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName)
+		_, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}, channelGroup)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Regexp(t, "bad consortium:", err.Error())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("MissingOrg", func(t *testing.T) {
+		channelGroup := proto.Clone(group).(*cb.ConfigGroup)
+		_, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate("channel.id", genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName + ".wrong"}, channelGroup)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Regexp(t, "missing organization:", err.Error())
+	})
+}
+
+// This is a temporary test to make sure that the newly implement channel creation method properly replicates
+// the old behavior
+func TestCompatability(t *testing.T) {
+	config := genesisconfig.Load(genesisconfig.SampleDevModeSoloProfile)
+	group, err := NewChannelGroup(config)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, group)
+
+	channelID := "channel.id"
+	orgs := []string{genesisconfig.SampleOrgName}
+	configUpdate, err := NewChannelCreateConfigUpdate(channelID, genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, orgs, group)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, configUpdate)
+
+	template := channelconfig.NewChainCreationTemplate(genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, orgs)
+	configEnv, err := template.Envelope(channelID)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	oldUpdate := configtx.UnmarshalConfigUpdateOrPanic(configEnv.ConfigUpdate)
+	oldUpdate.IsolatedData = nil
+	assert.True(t, proto.Equal(oldUpdate, configUpdate))
+}