diff --git a/Gruntfile.js b/Gruntfile.js
index b1d17a3010..4f53f35e4f 100644
--- a/Gruntfile.js
+++ b/Gruntfile.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ var path           = require('path'),
     spawn          = require('child_process').spawn,
     buildDirectory = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '.build'),
     distDirectory  = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '.dist'),
-    configLoader   = require('./core/server/config/loader'),
+    config         = require('./core/server/config'),
 
     buildGlob = [
         '**',
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ var path           = require('path'),
 
         grunt.registerTask('loadConfig', function () {
             var done = this.async();
-            configLoader().then(function () {
+            config.load().then(function () {
                 done();
             });
         });
diff --git a/core/index.js b/core/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0872f131f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// # Ghost bootloader
+// Orchestrates the loading of Ghost
+// When run from command line.
+
+var config             = require('./server/config'),
+    errors             = require('./server/errorHandling');
+
+process.env.NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
+
+function startGhost(app) {
+    config.load().then(function () {
+        var ghost = require('./server');
+        ghost(app);
+    }).otherwise(errors.logAndThrowError);
+}
+
+module.exports = startGhost;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/bookshelf-session.js b/core/server/bookshelf-session.js
similarity index 100%
rename from core/bookshelf-session.js
rename to core/server/bookshelf-session.js
diff --git a/core/server/config/index.js b/core/server/config/index.js
index 253c9a5f7a..8b785b9e57 100644
--- a/core/server/config/index.js
+++ b/core/server/config/index.js
@@ -1,16 +1,28 @@
 
-var ghostConfig   = require('../../../config'),
-    loader        = require('./loader'),
-    paths         = require('./paths');
+var loader        = require('./loader'),
+    paths         = require('./paths'),
+    ghostConfig;
 
-
-function configIndex() {
-    return ghostConfig[process.env.NODE_ENV];
+// Returns NODE_ENV config object
+function config() {
+    // @TODO: get rid of require statement.
+    // This is currently needed for tests to load config file
+    // successfully.  While running application we should never
+    // have to directly delegate to the config.js file.
+    return ghostConfig || require(paths().config)[process.env.NODE_ENV];
 }
 
+function loadConfig() {
+    return loader().then(function (config) {
+        // Cache the config.js object's environment
+        // object so we can later refer to it.
+        // Note: this is not the entirity of config.js,
+        // just the object appropriate for this NODE_ENV
+        ghostConfig = config;
+    });
+}
 
-configIndex.loader = loader;
-configIndex.paths = paths;
+config.load = loadConfig;
+config.paths = paths;
 
-
-module.exports = configIndex;
\ No newline at end of file
+module.exports = config;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/server/config/loader.js b/core/server/config/loader.js
index d913de7005..47f87ea038 100644
--- a/core/server/config/loader.js
+++ b/core/server/config/loader.js
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ var fs      = require('fs'),
     when    = require('when'),
     errors  = require('../errorHandling'),
     path    = require('path'),
+    paths   = require('./paths'),
 
-    appRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../'),
-    configexample = path.join(appRoot, 'config.example.js'),
-    config = path.join(appRoot, 'config.js');
+    appRoot = paths().appRoot,
+    configexample = paths().configExample,
+    config = paths().config;
 
 function writeConfigFile() {
     var written = when.defer();
@@ -83,19 +84,19 @@ function validateConfigEnvironment() {
         return when.reject();
     }
 
-    return when.resolve();
+    return when.resolve(config);
 }
 
 function loadConfig() {
-    var loaded = when.defer();
+    var loaded = when.defer(),
+        pendingConfig;
     /* Check for config file and copy from config.example.js
         if one doesn't exist. After that, start the server. */
     fs.exists(config, function checkConfig(configExists) {
-        if (configExists) {
-            validateConfigEnvironment().then(loaded.resolve).otherwise(loaded.reject);
-        } else {
-            writeConfigFile().then(validateConfigEnvironment).then(loaded.resolve).otherwise(loaded.reject);
+        if (!configExists) {
+            pendingConfig = writeConfigFile();
         }
+        when(pendingConfig).then(validateConfigEnvironment).then(loaded.resolve).otherwise(loaded.reject);
     });
     return loaded.promise;
 }
diff --git a/core/server/config/paths.js b/core/server/config/paths.js
index b5728a560c..b35331eb17 100644
--- a/core/server/config/paths.js
+++ b/core/server/config/paths.js
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ var path              = require('path'),
 function getPaths() {
     return {
         'appRoot':          appRoot,
+        'config':           path.join(appRoot, 'config.js'),
+        'configExample':    path.join(appRoot, 'config.example.js'),
         'themePath':        themePath,
         'pluginPath':       pluginPath,
         'activeTheme':      path.join(themePath, activeTheme),
diff --git a/core/server.js b/core/server/index.js
similarity index 93%
rename from core/server.js
rename to core/server/index.js
index 26c4771abb..fd1eca1bbc 100644
--- a/core/server.js
+++ b/core/server/index.js
@@ -3,20 +3,20 @@
 // modules to ensure config gets right setting.
 
 // Module dependencies
-var config       = require('./server/config'),
+var config       = require('./config'),
     express      = require('express'),
     when         = require('when'),
     _            = require('underscore'),
     semver       = require('semver'),
     fs           = require('fs'),
-    errors       = require('./server/errorHandling'),
-    plugins      = require('./server/plugins'),
+    errors       = require('./errorHandling'),
+    plugins      = require('./plugins'),
     path         = require('path'),
-    Ghost        = require('./ghost'),
-    helpers      = require('./server/helpers'),
-    middleware   = require('./server/middleware'),
-    routes       = require('./server/routes'),
-    packageInfo  = require('../package.json'),
+    Ghost        = require('../ghost'),
+    helpers      = require('./helpers'),
+    middleware   = require('./middleware'),
+    routes       = require('./routes'),
+    packageInfo  = require('../../package.json'),
 
 // Variables
     ghost = new Ghost(),
diff --git a/core/server/middleware/index.js b/core/server/middleware/index.js
index 3f492db957..2763c4133e 100644
--- a/core/server/middleware/index.js
+++ b/core/server/middleware/index.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ var middleware = require('./middleware'),
     config      = require('../config'),
     storage     = require('../storage'),
     packageInfo = require('../../../package.json'),
-    BSStore     = require('../../bookshelf-session'),
+    BSStore     = require('../bookshelf-session'),
 
     ghost = new Ghost();
 
diff --git a/core/server/models/base.js b/core/server/models/base.js
index 6a3b671cf3..2d2df713fd 100644
--- a/core/server/models/base.js
+++ b/core/server/models/base.js
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@ var ghostBookshelf,
     moment    = require('moment'),
     _         = require('underscore'),
     uuid      = require('node-uuid'),
-    config    = require('../../../config'),
+    config    = require('../config'),
     Validator = require('validator').Validator,
     unidecode = require('unidecode'),
     sanitize  = require('validator').sanitize;
 
 // Initializes a new Bookshelf instance, for reference elsewhere in Ghost.
-ghostBookshelf = Bookshelf.ghost = Bookshelf.initialize(config[process.env.NODE_ENV].database);
-ghostBookshelf.client = config[process.env.NODE_ENV].database.client;
+ghostBookshelf = Bookshelf.ghost = Bookshelf.initialize(config().database);
+ghostBookshelf.client = config().database.client;
 
 ghostBookshelf.validator = new Validator();
 
diff --git a/core/server/models/post.js b/core/server/models/post.js
index df179a21ec..b471f51568 100644
--- a/core/server/models/post.js
+++ b/core/server/models/post.js
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ var Post,
     github = require('../../shared/vendor/showdown/extensions/github'),
     converter = new Showdown.converter({extensions: [github]}),
     User = require('./user').User,
-    config = require('../../../config'),
     Tag = require('./tag').Tag,
     Tags = require('./tag').Tags,
     ghostBookshelf = require('./base');
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 9f7c4e7121..6fb52b3b6d 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -2,12 +2,6 @@
 // Orchestrates the loading of Ghost
 // When run from command line.
 
-var configLoader       = require('./core/server/config/loader'),
-    errors             = require('./core/server/errorHandling');
+var ghost = require('./core');
 
-process.env.NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
-
-configLoader().then(function () {
-    var ghost = require('./core/server');
-    ghost();
-}).otherwise(errors.logAndThrowError);
\ No newline at end of file
+ghost();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c37b3fca7e..6d16c4af9b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
             "url": "https://raw.github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/master/LICENSE"
         }
     ],
-    "main": "./core/server",
+    "main": "./core/index",
     "scripts": {
         "start": "node index",
         "test": "grunt validate --verbose"