diff --git a/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePlugin.groovy b/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePlugin.groovy
index ae72dab..3cf53a6 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePlugin.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePlugin.groovy
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class SemanticReleasePlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
             ReleasePluginExtension releaseExtension = extensions.findByType(ReleasePluginExtension)
             tasks.release.doLast {
                 if (project.version.inferredVersion.createTag) {
-                    semanticReleaseExtension.changeLogService.createGitHubVersion(project.version.inferredVersion)
+                    semanticReleaseExtension.changeLog.createGitHubVersion(project.version.inferredVersion)
                 }
             }
             releaseExtension.with {
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginExtension.groovy b/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginExtension.groovy
index 181a15c..479ec3f 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginExtension.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginExtension.groovy
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ import javax.inject.Inject
 class SemanticReleasePluginExtension {
 
     final Project project
-    final SemanticReleaseChangeLogService changeLogService
-    final SemanticReleaseCheckBranch onReleaseBranch
-    final SemanticReleaseAppendBranchNameStrategy appendBranchName
+    final SemanticReleaseChangeLogService changeLog
+    final SemanticReleaseCheckBranch releaseBranches
+    final SemanticReleaseAppendBranchNameStrategy branchNames
     final SemanticReleaseNormalStrategy semanticStrategy
     final SemanticReleaseStrategy releaseStrategy
     final SemanticReleaseStrategy snapshotStrategy
@@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginExtension {
     @Inject
     SemanticReleasePluginExtension(Project project) {
         this.project = project
-        changeLogService = new SemanticReleaseChangeLogService(project.grgit, project.release.tagStrategy)
-        onReleaseBranch = new SemanticReleaseCheckBranch()
-        appendBranchName = new SemanticReleaseAppendBranchNameStrategy(onReleaseBranch)
-        semanticStrategy = new SemanticReleaseNormalStrategy(project.grgit, changeLogService)
+        changeLog = new SemanticReleaseChangeLogService(project.grgit, project.release.tagStrategy)
+        releaseBranches = new SemanticReleaseCheckBranch()
+        branchNames = new SemanticReleaseAppendBranchNameStrategy(releaseBranches)
+        semanticStrategy = new SemanticReleaseNormalStrategy(project.grgit, changeLog)
         releaseStrategy = new SemanticReleaseStrategy(
                 initialStateService: new SemanticReleaseInitialStateService(project.grgit),
                 normalStrategy: semanticStrategy,
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginExtension {
         snapshotStrategy = releaseStrategy.copyWith(
                 type: "SNAPSHOT",
                 preReleaseStrategy: StrategyUtil.all(
-                        appendBranchName,
+                        branchNames,
                         appendSnapshot()
                 ),
                 createTag: false
@@ -61,22 +61,40 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginExtension {
     }
 
     def changeLog(Closure closure) {
-        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, changeLogService)
+        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, changeLog)
     }
 
     def releaseBranches(Closure closure) {
-        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, onReleaseBranch)
+        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, releaseBranches)
     }
 
     def branchNames(Closure closure) {
-        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, appendBranchName)
+        ConfigureUtil.configure(closure, branchNames)
     }
 
     boolean isRelease(SemVerStrategyState state) {
-        !state.repoDirty && onReleaseBranch.isReleaseBranch(state.currentBranch.name) &&
+        !state.repoDirty && releaseBranches.isReleaseBranch(state.currentBranch.name) &&
                 semanticStrategy.canRelease(state) && project.gradle.startParameter.taskNames.find { it == 'release' }
     }
 
+    @Deprecated
+    SemanticReleaseChangeLogService getChangeLogService() {
+        project.logger.warn("semanticRelease.changeLogService is deprecated and will be removed in v2.0.0")
+        changeLog
+    }
+
+    @Deprecated
+    SemanticReleaseCheckBranch getOnReleaseBranch() {
+        project.logger.warn("semanticRelease.onReleaseBranch is deprecated and will be removed in v2.0.0")
+        releaseBranches
+    }
+
+    @Deprecated
+    SemanticReleaseAppendBranchNameStrategy getAppendBranchName() {
+        project.logger.warn("semanticRelease.appendBranchName is deprecated and will be removed in v2.0.0")
+        branchNames
+    }
+
     private PartialSemVerStrategy appendSnapshot() {
         return {
             it.inferredPreRelease ?
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginSpec.groovy b/src/test/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginSpec.groovy
index 285bfdc..672a0de 100644
--- a/src/test/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginSpec.groovy
+++ b/src/test/groovy/de/gliderpilot/gradle/semanticrelease/SemanticReleasePluginSpec.groovy
@@ -53,7 +53,29 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginSpec extends ProjectSpec {
         }
 
         then:
-        project.semanticRelease.changeLogService.breakingChangeKeywords == ['breaks']
+        project.semanticRelease.changeLog.breakingChangeKeywords == ['breaks']
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the changeLogService using the property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.changeLog.breakingChangeKeywords = ['breaks']
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.changeLog.breakingChangeKeywords == ['breaks']
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the changeLogService using the deprecated property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.changeLogService.breakingChangeKeywords = ['breaks']
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.changeLog.breakingChangeKeywords == ['breaks']
     }
 
     def "can configure the release branches"() {
@@ -68,7 +90,29 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginSpec extends ProjectSpec {
         }
 
         then:
-        project.semanticRelease.onReleaseBranch.excludes == ['foo'] as Set
+        project.semanticRelease.releaseBranches.excludes == ['foo'] as Set
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the release branches using the property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.releaseBranches.exclude 'foo'
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.releaseBranches.excludes == ['foo'] as Set
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the release branches using the deprecated property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.onReleaseBranch.exclude 'foo'
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.releaseBranches.excludes == ['foo'] as Set
     }
 
     def "can configure the branchNames strategy"() {
@@ -83,7 +127,29 @@ class SemanticReleasePluginSpec extends ProjectSpec {
         }
 
         then:
-        project.semanticRelease.appendBranchName.replacePatterns.foo == 'bar'
+        project.semanticRelease.branchNames.replacePatterns.foo == 'bar'
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the branchNames using the property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.branchNames.replace 'foo', 'bar'
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.branchNames.replacePatterns.foo == 'bar'
+    }
+
+    def "can configure the branchNames using the deprecated property"() {
+        when:
+        project.with {
+            apply plugin: PLUGIN
+            semanticRelease.appendBranchName.replace 'foo', 'bar'
+        }
+
+        then:
+        project.semanticRelease.branchNames.replacePatterns.foo == 'bar'
     }
 
 }