The wooden church was built and consecrated in 1730. In 1735, T. Martynov sold part of the land inherited from his father to his nephew A. Martynov. In 1741, N. Martynov transferred part of the real estate in Novikovka as a dowry to his daughter P. Kireeva. In 1748, the widow S. Yakovleva, landowner M. Karakozova, inherited part of Novikovka along with her son and nephew. In 1754, they sold their share to M. Pilyugina. In 1773, a new wooden church was built on the site of the old one. In the mid-1770s, after the departure of Emelyan Pugachev's army, one of his gangs continued to operate in the vicinity of the village for some time. In 1802, the widow O. Evsyukova requested permission to build a new stone church in Novikovka to replace the old wooden one, but by 1804 she remarried and abandoned this idea.

At the time of the abolition of serfdom, Novikovka had 58 households with 344 men and 358 women living there. Nearby ran a dirt road from Saratov to Kuznetsk, and the village had a church and a zemstvo school, which opened on March 11, 1861. On September 23, 1865, Bishop Ioannikiy of Saratov and Tsaritsyn consecrated a new wooden St. John the Baptist Church, built to replace the old one. In 1879, based on the design of the famous Saratov architect K. V. Tiden, the fourth and last church in the history of Novikovka dedicated to St. John the Baptist was built with the funds of parishioners. This wooden building on a stone foundation had a bell tower, an iron roof, and heating. A wooden watchman's lodge was located at the church, and in 1900, parishioners built church houses for the priest and the psalmist. On October 29, 1901, a new altar was consecrated in the church.

The church and zemstvo school operated in the village. In 1917, Novikovka had 170 households, 596 men, and 602 women. During Soviet power, Novikovka became the center of the eponymous village council and, until the formation of the Bazarno-Karabulak district, was part of the Volsky district. A new primary school was established based on the zemstvo school. The St. John the Baptist Church was closed during the anti-religious campaigns and later destroyed. Now, a cross has been erected at its site.