Ben, you are seeing classic WTS double speak and you are defending them! They never say anything about "outward appearance." Those are your words, not the WTS's. Either the elders are appointed by Holy Spirit or they are not. The Watchtower says they are. I believe they are not.
As you can see, you can quote the WT and someone with an opposing view can quote a WT, but the WT says two different things. THey want everyone in to pay attention to elders and to view their appointment as being from Holy Spirit, but because this is so obviously not the case with so many elders engaging in wrongdoing at the time of their appointment, they must also say that they "give evidence" of producing the fruitage of the spirit. However, Paul laid out the qualifications of being an elder, and he NEVER mentions: Field Service time; Bible studies conducted; comments at the meetings; activity at quick builds; circuit assembly or district assembly parts; pioneering or a list of other things that JW's think are necessary to be an elder. They go far beyond things written.