In the book "The Past of the Tambov Region," P.N. Chermensky notes that the village of Kershinsky Borki is first mentioned in documents from 1623, and in 1676, Prince V.V. Kropotkin recorded the following: "In the Kershinsky hundred, the village of Kershinsky Borki on Lake Selskoye. It has a wooden church. In that same village, there are 42 households of taxable peasants and 7 landless peasants. The total male population is 175 people, of whom 56 are of taxable age, 70 are minors, and 29 have been sent to serve on the Don."

The history of the Ilyinsky temple begins in the 17th century. It is believed that there was a forest on the site of the village before, and no material was brought in for the construction of the church. A part of the forest was cut down, and from these trees, the temple was built. The church stood on a hill, and all roads led to it. It was small in size. The last rector of the Ilyinsky church was Feodor. After 1917, the temple ceased to function as a church, but the building remained, and a club and library were opened in it. Icons and church utensils were taken by local residents to their homes.

In the 1950s, the church was dismantled, some logs were used for building a school, and the remaining ones were taken apart by local residents. Nothing else was built on this site. If it were not for a random photograph from the 1930s, the younger generation might never have known what the wooden temple looked like. This photograph caught the attention of a native of the village of Kersh-Borki, the honored builder of Russia, Nikolai Ivanovich Dyachkov. His dream was to restore the temple in his native village. This was blessed by His Grace Theodosius, the Bishop of Tambov and Michurinsk.

On August 2, 2006, on the feast day, the opening of the Church of Saint Elijah the Prophet took place, after which Bishop Theodosius consecrated the church and held a Divine Liturgy there.