diff --git a/consensus/state.go b/consensus/state.go
index d47b43f2413..28372479ae6 100644
--- a/consensus/state.go
+++ b/consensus/state.go
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ var (
 	errPubKeyIsNotSet = errors.New("pubkey is not set. Look for \"Can't get private validator pubkey\" errors")
 )
 
-var msgQueueSize = 1000
+var (
+	msgQueueSize  = 1000
+	taskQueueSize = 128
+)
 
 // msgs from the reactor which may update the state
 type msgInfo struct {
@@ -160,6 +163,7 @@ func NewState(
 	evpool evidencePool,
 	options ...StateOption,
 ) *State {
+	blockExec.SetTaskRunner(spawnTaskRunner(taskQueueSize))
 	cs := &State{
 		config:           config,
 		blockExec:        blockExec,
@@ -2585,3 +2589,16 @@ func repairWalFile(src, dst string) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+// spawnTaskRunner spawn a single goroutine to run tasks in FIFO order.
+func spawnTaskRunner(buf int) func(func()) {
+	taskCh := make(chan func(), buf)
+	go func() {
+		for f := range taskCh {
+			f()
+		}
+	}()
+	return func(f func()) {
+		taskCh <- f
+	}
+}
diff --git a/state/execution.go b/state/execution.go
index 62b05be3455..5a953eb0101 100644
--- a/state/execution.go
+++ b/state/execution.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ type BlockExecutor struct {
 	logger log.Logger
 
 	metrics *Metrics
+
+	asyncRunner func(func())
 }
 
 type BlockExecutorOption func(executor *BlockExecutor)
@@ -53,6 +55,12 @@ func BlockExecutorWithMetrics(metrics *Metrics) BlockExecutorOption {
 	}
 }
 
+func BlockExecutorWithAsyncRunner(runner func(func())) BlockExecutorOption {
+	return func(blockExec *BlockExecutor) {
+		blockExec.asyncRunner = runner
+	}
+}
+
 // NewBlockExecutor returns a new BlockExecutor with a NopEventBus.
 // Call SetEventBus to provide one.
 func NewBlockExecutor(
@@ -92,6 +100,10 @@ func (blockExec *BlockExecutor) SetEventBus(eventBus types.BlockEventPublisher)
 	blockExec.eventBus = eventBus
 }
 
+func (blockExec *BlockExecutor) SetTaskRunner(runner func(func())) {
+	blockExec.asyncRunner = runner
+}
+
 // CreateProposalBlock calls state.MakeBlock with evidence from the evpool
 // and txs from the mempool. The max bytes must be big enough to fit the commit.
 // The block space is first allocated to outstanding evidence.
@@ -318,7 +330,15 @@ func (blockExec *BlockExecutor) applyBlock(state State, blockID types.BlockID, b
 	if _, ok := blockExec.eventBus.(types.NopEventBus); !ok {
 		// Events are fired after everything else.
 		// NOTE: if we crash between Commit and Save, events wont be fired during replay
-		go fireEvents(blockExec.logger, blockExec.eventBus, block, blockID, abciResponse, validatorUpdates)
+		task := func() {
+			fireEvents(blockExec.logger, blockExec.eventBus, block, blockID, abciResponse, validatorUpdates)
+		}
+
+		if blockExec.asyncRunner != nil {
+			blockExec.asyncRunner(task)
+		} else {
+			task()
+		}
 	}
 
 	return state, nil