All I'm saying is that when the grandparent used the phrase "the church" they probably meant it in the broader "followers of Christ" sense and not a specific denomination as OP assumes.

I'm very aware of the differences between denominations, and the degree to which the grandparent comment generalized across these disparate denominations is definitely problematic, but what I said is accurate: much of American Christianity uses the phrase "the church" in a highly inclusive way that is different than what OP assumed was meant.