diff --git a/services/actions.js b/services/actions.js
index adffdd134..d6f709632 100644
--- a/services/actions.js
+++ b/services/actions.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ module.exports = class ActionsService {
     });
 
     // Emit that there was a new action created.
-    await events.emitAsync(ACTIONS_NEW, foundAction);
+    events.emit(ACTIONS_NEW, foundAction);
 
     return foundAction;
   }
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ module.exports = class ActionsService {
     }
 
     // Emit that the action was deleted.
-    await events.emitAsync(ACTIONS_DELETE, action);
+    events.emit(ACTIONS_DELETE, action);
 
     return action;
   }
diff --git a/services/comments.js b/services/comments.js
index 086c228aa..495472a81 100644
--- a/services/comments.js
+++ b/services/comments.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ module.exports = class CommentsService {
     const savedCommentModel = await commentModel.save();
 
     // Emit that the comment was created!
-    await events.emitAsync(COMMENTS_NEW, savedCommentModel);
+    events.emit(COMMENTS_NEW, savedCommentModel);
 
     return savedCommentModel;
   }
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ module.exports = class CommentsService {
       }
     }
 
-    await events.emitAsync(COMMENTS_EDIT, originalComment, editedComment);
+    events.emit(COMMENTS_EDIT, originalComment, editedComment);
 
     return editedComment;
   }
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ module.exports = class CommentsService {
 
     // Emit that the comment was edited, and pass the original comment and the
     // edited comment.
-    await events.emitAsync(COMMENTS_EDIT, originalComment, editedComment);
+    events.emit(COMMENTS_EDIT, originalComment, editedComment);
 
     return editedComment;
   }
diff --git a/services/events/constants.js b/services/events/constants.js
index 78729c73a..c66e13faf 100644
--- a/services/events/constants.js
+++ b/services/events/constants.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 module.exports = {
+  USERS_NEW: 'USERS_NEW',
   ACTIONS_DELETE: 'ACTIONS_DELETE',
   ACTIONS_NEW: 'ACTIONS_NEW',
   COMMENTS_NEW: 'COMMENTS_NEW',
diff --git a/services/events/index.js b/services/events/index.js
index 214e23d65..ff5e93cf0 100644
--- a/services/events/index.js
+++ b/services/events/index.js
@@ -1,22 +1,32 @@
 const {EventEmitter2} = require('eventemitter2');
+const constants = require('./constants');
 const debug = require('debug')('talk:services:events');
 const enabled = require('debug').enabled('talk:services:events');
 
-const events = new EventEmitter2({
+const emitter = new EventEmitter2({
   wildcard: true,
 });
 
 // If event debugging is enabled, bind the debugger to all events being emitted
 // and log a debug message.
 if (enabled) {
-  events.onAny(function(event) {
+  emitter.onAny(function(event) {
     debug(`[${event}] ${arguments.length - 1} argument${arguments.length - 1 === 1 ? '' : 's'}`);
   });
 }
 
+// Allow any number of listeners to attach to this.
+emitter.setMaxListeners(0);
+
 // The default error handler.
-events.on('error', (err) => {
+emitter.on('error', (err) => {
   console.error('events error:', err);
 });
 
-module.exports = events;
+emitter.on('newListener', (event) => {
+  if (!(event in constants)) {
+    throw new Error(`Event[${event}] not a valid event name`);
+  }
+});
+
+module.exports = emitter;
diff --git a/services/users.js b/services/users.js
index 719666788..6080a0369 100644
--- a/services/users.js
+++ b/services/users.js
@@ -3,14 +3,15 @@ const bcrypt = require('bcryptjs');
 const errors = require('../errors');
 const some = require('lodash/some');
 const merge = require('lodash/merge');
-const events = require('./events');
 const timeago = require('./timeago');
 
 const {
+  USERS_NEW,
   USERS_SUSPENSION_CHANGE,
   USERS_BAN_CHANGE,
   USERS_USERNAME_STATUS_CHANGE,
 } = require('./events/constants');
+const events = require('./events');
 
 const {
   ROOT_URL
@@ -23,7 +24,6 @@ const {
 const debug = require('debug')('talk:services:users');
 
 const UserModel = require('../models/user');
-const USER_ROLES = require('../models/enum/user_roles');
 
 const RECAPTCHA_WINDOW = '10m'; // 10 minutes.
 const RECAPTCHA_INCORRECT_TRIGGER = 5; // after 3 incorrect attempts, recaptcha will be required.
@@ -347,43 +347,47 @@ class UsersService {
    * @param  {Object}   profile - User social/external profile
    * @param  {Function} done    [description]
    */
-  static findOrCreateExternalUser({id, provider, displayName}) {
-    return UserModel
-      .findOne({
-        profiles: {
-          $elemMatch: {
-            id,
-            provider
+  static async findOrCreateExternalUser({id, provider, displayName}) {
+    let user = await UserModel.findOne({
+      profiles: {
+        $elemMatch: {
+          id,
+          provider
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    if (user) {
+      return user;
+    }
+
+    // User does not exist and need to be created.
+
+    // Create an initial username for the user.
+    let username = UsersService.castUsername(displayName);
+
+    // The user was not found, lets create them!
+    user = new UserModel({
+      username,
+      lowercaseUsername: username.toLowerCase(),
+      roles: [],
+      profiles: [{id, provider}],
+      status: {
+        username: {
+          status: 'UNSET',
+          history: {
+            status: 'UNSET'
           }
         }
-      })
-      .then((user) => {
-        if (user) {
-          return user;
-        }
+      }
+    });
 
-        // User does not exist and need to be created.
+    // Save the user in the database.
+    await user.save();
 
-        let username = UsersService.castUsername(displayName);
+    // Emit that the user was created.
+    events.emit(USERS_NEW, user);
 
-        // The user was not found, lets create them!
-        user = new UserModel({
-          username,
-          lowercaseUsername: username.toLowerCase(),
-          roles: [],
-          profiles: [{id, provider}],
-          status: {
-            username: {
-              status: 'UNSET',
-              history: {
-                status: 'UNSET'
-              }
-            }
-          }
-        });
-
-        return user.save();
-      });
+    return user;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -545,6 +549,9 @@ class UsersService {
       throw err;
     }
 
+    // Emit that the user was created.
+    events.emit(USERS_NEW, user);
+
     return user;
   }