diff --git a/electrum/lnpeer.py b/electrum/lnpeer.py
index e4138c1a5..3f90bfcbf 100644
--- a/electrum/lnpeer.py
+++ b/electrum/lnpeer.py
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ class Peer(Logger):
             self.pong_event.clear()
             await self.pong_event.wait()
 
-    def process_message(self, message: bytes):
+    async def _process_message(self, message: bytes) -> None:
         try:
             message_type, payload = decode_msg(message)
         except UnknownOptionalMsgType as e:
@@ -236,9 +236,22 @@ class Peer(Logger):
             # raw message is needed to check signature
             if message_type in ['node_announcement', 'channel_announcement', 'channel_update']:
                 payload['raw'] = message
-            execution_result = f(*args)
+            # note: the message handler might be async or non-async. In either case, by default,
+            #       we wait for it to complete before we return, i.e. before the next message is processed.
             if asyncio.iscoroutinefunction(f):
-                asyncio.ensure_future(self.taskgroup.spawn(execution_result))
+                await f(*args)
+            else:
+                f(*args)
+
+    def non_blocking_msg_handler(func):
+        """Makes a message handler non-blocking: while processing the message,
+        the message_loop keeps processing subsequent incoming messages asynchronously.
+        """
+        assert asyncio.iscoroutinefunction(func), 'func needs to be a coroutine'
+        @functools.wraps(func)
+        async def wrapper(self: 'Peer', *args, **kwargs):
+            return await self.taskgroup.spawn(func(self, *args, **kwargs))
+        return wrapper
 
     def on_warning(self, payload):
         chan_id = payload.get("channel_id")
@@ -602,7 +615,7 @@ class Peer(Logger):
         except (OSError, asyncio.TimeoutError, HandshakeFailed) as e:
             raise GracefulDisconnect(f'initialize failed: {repr(e)}') from e
         async for msg in self.transport.read_messages():
-            self.process_message(msg)
+            await self._process_message(msg)
             if self.DELAY_INC_MSG_PROCESSING_SLEEP:
                 # rate-limit message-processing a bit, to make it harder
                 # for a single peer to bog down the event loop / cpu:
@@ -944,6 +957,7 @@ class Peer(Logger):
         # set db to None, because we do not want to write updates until channel is saved
         return StoredDict(chan_dict, None, [])
 
+    @non_blocking_msg_handler
     async def on_open_channel(self, payload):
         """Implements the channel acceptance flow.
 
@@ -2278,6 +2292,7 @@ class Peer(Logger):
                 raise Exception('The remote peer did not send their final signature. The channel may not have been be closed')
         return txid
 
+    @non_blocking_msg_handler
     async def on_shutdown(self, chan: Channel, payload):
         # TODO: A receiving node: if it hasn't received a funding_signed (if it is a
         #  funder) or a funding_created (if it is a fundee):