diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigImporter.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigImporter.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigImporter.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigImporter.php
@@ -671,17 +671,15 @@
     if (!$this->validated) {
       // Validate renames.
       foreach ($this->getUnprocessedConfiguration('rename') as $name) {
-        $names = explode('::', $name);
-        $old_name = $names[0];
-        $new_name = $names[1];
-        $old_entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($old_name);
-        $new_entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($new_name);
+        $names = $this->storageComparer->extractRenameNames($name);
+        $old_entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($names['old_name']);
+        $new_entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($names['new_name']);
         if ($old_entity_type_id != $new_entity_type_id) {
-          $this->logError($this->t('Entity type mismatch on rename. !old_type not equal to !new_type for existing configuration !old_name and staged configuration !new_name.', array('old_type' => $old_entity_type_id, 'new_type' => $new_entity_type_id, 'old_name' => $old_name, 'new_name' => $new_name)));
+          $this->logError($this->t('Entity type mismatch on rename. !old_type not equal to !new_type for existing configuration !old_name and staged configuration !new_name.', array('old_type' => $old_entity_type_id, 'new_type' => $new_entity_type_id, 'old_name' => $names['old_name'], 'new_name' => $names['new_name'])));
         }
         // Has to be a configuration entity.
         if (!$old_entity_type_id) {
-          $this->logError($this->t('Rename operation for simple configuration. Existing configuration !old_name and staged configuration !new_name.', array('old_name' => $old_name, 'new_name' => $new_name)));
+          $this->logError($this->t('Rename operation for simple configuration. Existing configuration !old_name and staged configuration !new_name.', array('old_name' => $names['old_name'], 'new_name' => $names['new_name'])));
         }
       }
       $this->eventDispatcher->dispatch(ConfigEvents::IMPORT_VALIDATE, new ConfigImporterEvent($this));
@@ -787,9 +785,8 @@
    */
   protected function checkOp($op, $name) {
     if ($op == 'rename') {
-      $names = explode('::', $name);
-      $new_name = $names[1];
-      $target_exists = $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage()->exists($new_name);
+      $names = $this->storageComparer->extractRenameNames($name);
+      $target_exists = $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage()->exists($names['new_name']);
       if ($target_exists) {
         // The rename has already occurred as the result of a secondary
         // configuration write. Change the operation into an update. This is the
@@ -934,17 +931,15 @@
    *   otherwise.
    */
   protected function importInvokeRename($name) {
-    $names = explode('::', $name);
-    $old_name = $names[0];
-    $new_name = $names[1];
-    $entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($old_name);
-    $old_config = new Config($old_name, $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage(), $this->eventDispatcher, $this->typedConfigManager);
-    if ($old_data = $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage()->read($old_name)) {
+    $names = $this->storageComparer->extractRenameNames($name);
+    $entity_type_id = $this->configManager->getEntityTypeIdByName($names['old_name']);
+    $old_config = new Config($names['old_name'], $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage(), $this->eventDispatcher, $this->typedConfigManager);
+    if ($old_data = $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage()->read($names['old_name'])) {
       $old_config->initWithData($old_data);
     }
 
-    $data = $this->storageComparer->getSourceStorage()->read($new_name);
-    $new_config = new Config($new_name, $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage(), $this->eventDispatcher, $this->typedConfigManager);
+    $data = $this->storageComparer->getSourceStorage()->read($names['new_name']);
+    $new_config = new Config($names['new_name'], $this->storageComparer->getTargetStorage(), $this->eventDispatcher, $this->typedConfigManager);
     if ($data !== FALSE) {
       $new_config->setData($data);
     }
@@ -953,9 +948,9 @@
     // Call to the configuration entity's storage to handle the configuration
     // change.
     if (!($entity_storage instanceof ImportableEntityStorageInterface)) {
-      throw new EntityStorageException(String::format('The entity storage "@storage" for the "@entity_type" entity type does not support imports', array('@storage' => get_class($entity_storage), '@entity_type' => $entity_type)));
+      throw new EntityStorageException(String::format('The entity storage "@storage" for the "@entity_type" entity type does not support imports', array('@storage' => get_class($entity_storage), '@entity_type' => $entity_type_id)));
     }
-    $entity_storage->importRename($old_name, $new_config, $old_config);
+    $entity_storage->importRename($names['old_name'], $new_config, $old_config);
     $this->setProcessedConfiguration('rename', $name);
     return TRUE;
   }
diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparer.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparer.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparer.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparer.php
@@ -242,8 +242,8 @@
         $this->removeFromChangelist('create', $create_uuids[$data['uuid']]);
         // Remove from delete list.
         $this->removeFromChangelist('delete', $id);
-        // Create rename operation.
-        $renames[] = $id . '::' . $create_uuids[$data['uuid']];
+        // Create the rename name.
+        $renames[] = $this->createRenameName($id, $create_uuids[$data['uuid']]);
       }
     }
 
@@ -270,9 +270,9 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function moveRenameToUpdate($rename) {
-    $names = explode('::', $rename);
+    $names = $this->extractRenameNames($rename);
     $this->removeFromChangelist('rename', $rename);
-    $this->addChangeList('update', array($names[1]), $this->sourceNames);
+    $this->addChangeList('update', array($names['new_name']), $this->sourceNames);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -318,2 +318,27 @@
 
+  /**
+   * Creates a rename name from the old and new name.
+   *
+   * @param string $old_name
+   *   The old configuration object name.
+   * @param $new_name
+   *   The new configuration object name.
+   *
+   * @return string
+   *   The configuration change name that encodes both the old and the new name.
+   */
+  protected function createRenameName($name1, $name2) {
+    return $name1 . '::' . $name2;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function extractRenameNames($name) {
+    $names = explode('::', $name);
+    return array(
+      'old_name' => $names[0],
+      'new_name' => $names[1],
+    );
+  }
 }
diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparerInterface.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparerInterface.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparerInterface.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageComparerInterface.php
@@ -90,2 +90,16 @@
 
+  /**
+   * Extracts old and new configuration names from a configuration change name.
+   *
+   * @param string $name
+   *   The configuration change name in the format of
+   *   old_config_name::new_config_name.
+   *
+   * @return array
+   *   An associative array of configuration names. The array keys are
+   *   'old_name' and and 'new_name' representing the old and name configuration
+   *   object name during a rename.
+   */
+  public function extractRenameNames($name);
+
 }
diff -u b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigImportRenameTest.php b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigImportRenameTest.php
--- b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigImportRenameTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigImportRenameTest.php
@@ -90,10 +90,10 @@
 
     $this->drupalGet('admin/config/development/configuration');
     foreach ($expected as $rename) {
-      $names = explode('::', $rename);
-      $this->assertText(String::format('!source_name to !target_name', array('!source_name' => $names[0], '!target_name' => $names[1])));
+      $names = $this->configImporter()->getStorageComparer()->extractRenameNames($rename);
+      $this->assertText(String::format('!source_name to !target_name', array('!source_name' => $names['old_name'], '!target_name' => $names['new_name'])));
       // Test that the diff link is present.
-      $href = \Drupal::urlGenerator()->getPathFromRoute('config.diff', array('source_name' => $names[0], 'target_name' => $names[1]));
+      $href = \Drupal::urlGenerator()->getPathFromRoute('config.diff', array('source_name' => $names['old_name'], 'target_name' => $names['new_name']));
       $this->assertLinkByHref($href);
       $hrefs[$rename] = $href;
     }
@@ -101,17 +101,17 @@
     // Ensure that the diff works.
     foreach ($hrefs as $rename => $href) {
       $this->drupalGet($href);
-      $names = explode('::', $rename);
-      $config_entity_type = \Drupal::service('config.manager')->getEntityTypeIdByName($names[0]);
+      $names = $this->configImporter()->getStorageComparer()->extractRenameNames($rename);
+      $config_entity_type = \Drupal::service('config.manager')->getEntityTypeIdByName($names['old_name']);
       $entity_type = \Drupal::entityManager()->getDefinition($config_entity_type);
-      $old_id = ConfigEntityStorage::getIDFromConfigName($names[0], $entity_type->getConfigPrefix());
-      $new_id = ConfigEntityStorage::getIDFromConfigName($names[1], $entity_type->getConfigPrefix());
+      $old_id = ConfigEntityStorage::getIDFromConfigName($names['old_name'], $entity_type->getConfigPrefix());
+      $new_id = ConfigEntityStorage::getIDFromConfigName($names['new_name'], $entity_type->getConfigPrefix());
       $this->assertText('-' . $entity_type->getKey('id') . ': ' . $old_id);
       $this->assertText('+' . $entity_type->getKey('id') . ': ' . $new_id);
     }
 
     // Run the import.
-    $this->drupalPostForm(NULL, array(), t('Import all'));
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/config/development/configuration', array(), t('Import all'));
     $this->assertText(t('There are no configuration changes.'));
 
     $this->assertFalse(entity_load('node_type', $active_type), 'Content with old name no longer exists.');