As a result of historical and archival research, it was found that the village of Sergievka, founded by staff captain A.S. Zhilin, was settled in 1834 on land purchased from Nemirova, 60 versts from the city, in the floodplain of the Borovka River. In the center of the modern village of Zhilinka in the Buzuluk district, a stone church building with three altars has been preserved, the main one dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh. The church was built in 1843 with funds from landowner Alexander Sergeyevich Zhilin. The church has three altars: the main one in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh, a chapel of the holy martyr Alexander, and a chapel of the holy martyrs Sophia and her daughters Faith, Hope, and Love.

The church represented a single architectural complex with a bell tower and was surrounded by an iron fence on a stone foundation. The building was plastered and painted on the outside, while the interior was decorated with artistic frescoes. The architecture of the church is executed in the classical style in accordance with the canons of architectural science. The materials used, such as brick, cornice blocks, wire reinforcement, decorative wrought iron grilles on the windows, and wooden elements, were made from high-quality materials by professional craftsmen. An analysis of the appearance of the building and its elements indicates that the construction work was carried out in compliance with all necessary rules at a high level.

In the 1920s, the church was closed and used for agricultural purposes. The cult elements were destroyed: the cross and bells were removed, the altars and sacrificial tables were destroyed, and the bell tower was dismantled. In the right chapel, fertilizers with expired shelf life were stored until the end of 2009. Due to rough exploitation and neglect of the building, its economic use was terminated in 1990. Serious damage was inflicted on the frescoes, the exterior plaster is missing, and the interior has crumbled in many places. In the upper part of the building on the right side, a wall has been breached with an area of up to two square meters, the roof and supporting ceilings of the chapels have been dismantled, the dome and drum are destroyed, and the base of the drum is largely lost. The ceilings of the building, consisting of the main and chapel vaults, are experiencing overloads from climatic impacts and, without taking measures, may soon begin to collapse.